A Frozen Fire
by Akakoken
Summary: Miu Kuronaga arrived at Balamb Garden at the age of eight, with no recollection of her life beforehand. Plagued by constant nightmares and buried feelings, Miu struggles to overcome a haunting past and an uncertain future... with a little help, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything, and I am not making profit off of anything. Please don't sue; it's not worth the hassle.

**Author's Note (A/N): **_(Updates will probably be irregular for now.)_

Paramore - Circle

_Take this time to realize  
__That you always shut your eyes  
__In the midst of a trial  
__And everything is always right_

_And I think that it's time  
__This battle must be won  
__But you pushed it aside  
__Pushed it aside, pretend that it's gone_

_(x2)  
__This circle never ends  
__And it's time you  
__Just face it, don't pretend  
__That it's over_

_Take this time to realize  
__That you always force a smile  
__In the midst of a trial  
__And everything is always right_

_And I think that it's time  
__This battle must be won  
__But you pushed it aside  
__Pushed it aside, pretend that it's gone_

_(x2)  
__This circle never ends  
__And it's time you  
__Just face it, don't pretend  
__That it's over_

_And it never ends  
__It never ends  
__And it never ends  
__No, it never ends_

_This circle never ends  
__And it's time you  
__Just face it, don't pretend  
__That it's over_

_This circle never ends  
__And it's time you  
__Just face it, don't pretend  
__That it's over, it's over_

* * *

**Prologue**

_Tortured screams, like the wailing of hell's banshees echoed throughout the small village. There was blood... so much blood... splattered across the field like paint on a brand new canvas. The crimson liquid sunk into the earth, mixing with the soft brown dirt, coating what used to be lush, green blades of grass, forever tainting the peaceful landscape. Heads, decapitated from their previous places of existence, soared through the air, as arms and legs were tossed aside like twigs off a small tree. Feet padded harshly all over the blood-soaked ground, trampling lifeless bodies. Some feet were clanging, dressed in shining metal, now stained with the life force of innocent women and children... Other feet were bare, moving as fast as possible, slipping and sliding, slicked with blood as they tried to escape the wrath of the riders on the armored chocobos; they could not move fast enough... The riders killed, slaughtered mercilessly each and every being who did not bear their mark on the field, all the while enjoying the sound of their victim's torment._

_A lone figure stood amongst the riders, shedding crimson tears as their blade tore through another body. More innocent blood spilled. _

* * *

**Mystery**

_Why am I... floating-_

She awoke, in the middle of descending off of her mattress, eyes widening. The earlier feeling of floating was replaced by a fleeting sense of surprise and panic, until... she collided with the unforgiving marble floor below. Pain exploded like a bolt of lightning into her skull, near her temple, reaching back into her brain, making her groan in discomfort. Her elbow bone began to throb as well, as a numb feeling spread through her arm. _Must have hit the 'funny bone'..._ The backs of her eyes tingled as if she were to cry, but she shook her head to rid herself of the feeling, knowing it was more from shock than the actual pain itself. With another groan, she lifted herself off of the cold tile slowly, mind fogged with pain and sleep (or lack-there-of). "Fucking... nightmares..." She grumbled, making her way towards the bathroom.

She flicked the switch on as she stumbled into the room, squinting, the brightness burning her eyes as they adjusted from the darkness of sleep to the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom. When she could finally manage to open her eyes without too much pain, she took a couple steps towards the mirror, leaning on the cold ceramic sink beneath it as she surveyed the damage to her head. Just above her left temple her skin was tinged red; the makings of a bruise were forming. What really caught her attention, however, was the jagged scar that ran along her right cheekbone, dangerously close to the bottom of her right eye.

...It was bleeding, _again_.

The scar was years old, old enough that she couldn't remember a time in which the flaw wasn't permanently etched into her skin... but then again, she couldn't remember anything past her arrival at Balamb Garden to begin with. Occasionally, for reasons unknown, the scar would bleed. It always seemed to happen at night, during the nightmares. Soon after waking, she would feel the warm liquid oozing across her cheek, the bright red blood a stark contrast against her milky-pale skin. She frowned, ignoring the bruise forming on her temple, and set to work cleaning up her scar. Gently, she wiped off the blood with a damp cloth, and then cast a Cure spell on herself. The bruise on her temple, as well as the pain in her head and elbow receded to almost nothingness, but the scar remained, as always, even if it did stop the bleeding. Sighing, the woman glanced at her reflection in the mirror once again. Her black and red hair was tousled, sticking out and matted in various places. Dull, red eyes gazed back at her, emotionless. She directed her gaze over her high cheekbones, smooth jaw and pink lips, as she always did. Was it odd (or even possible?) for a person to look familiar, yet unrecognizable at the same time, to his or her own self?

_I won't be able to get back to sleep now, anyways..._

After a quick shower and 'morning' routine, she glanced reluctantly at the digital clock sitting on her bedside table, the blue numbers blinking irritatingly back at her. "Three A.M.? _Damn_... even earlier than usual." With a yawn and a small stretch, she threw her hair into a messy ponytail and changed into her clothes for the day; black pants, a black tube top with a webbed shirt over it that covered her torso, and her black sneakers. A loose, short red and black layered skirt was placed on over top of her pants, and two black straps were placed across her chest and around her back in the form of an X', holding in place her two katana, one handle protruding from her left shoulder, the other from the right shoulder. She tied a double red and black scarf around her neck and pulled on her gloves that reached from mid-finger to halfway up her forearm. The gloves were black, with glinting silver plates covering the arms, and spikes covering the knuckles. Her pale, toned abdomen and arms were visible, as usual, but she pushed her self-consciousness aside, took a deep breath, and left the dark confines of her room.

The silence of Balamb Garden's massive hallways was eerie in the early hours of the morning, as her soft footsteps echoed off of the large, white walls. The faint sound of water trickling flowed past her ears as she circled the pool of water that resided on the other side of the hallway walls and underneath the ring-shaped first floor of Garden, until she reached the green isle of the Training Center. Her pace increased slightly as she headed for those thick, heavy, metal doors, not bothering to glance back at the faint sound of another set of feet behind her. Whoever it was probably didn't know her, didn't care to say a word to her, and for that she was glad. She was not in the mood to be disrupted. The doors opened readily for her with a _hiss_, as they always did, bringing the tiniest fraction of a smile to her face. The Training Center always welcomed her with open arms.

Her steps were soundless on the soft earth, the dirt and blades of grass a familiar feeling beneath the padded soles of her shoes. A light breeze brushed past her face, gently blowing her bangs briefly away from her deep red eyes and cooling the sweat that was beginning to form on her face. Goosebumps rose all over her skin with each step she took, as the excitement built, the thrill of an upcoming battle surfacing in her veins. A second set of doors once again opened easily for her, and she stepped just as easily through them, instantly feeling the slightly more humid air around her. Out of force of habit, she pulled her gloves tighter and casually strolled further into the jungle-like scene, looking forward to a challenging fight.

After all, she had a knack for attracting T-Rexaurs, and they were not easy to defeat alone.

Her eyes expertly scanned her surroundings, flicking back and forth from tree, to ground, to bush, to the slight movement of an object to her left. Reacting on instinct, she spun, leg extended, arms positioned protectively in front of her face. Her leg collided with a large, solid yet almost squishy _something_, which she quickly recognized to be a Grat. _Tch, pesky little things... I can't believe I used to have trouble with these._ Vaguely, she recalled an instance from long ago, shortly after her initial arrival to Balamb Garden. She hadn't a clue what she was doing back then, and wandered into the Training Center unsupervised, without any previous combat training what so ever... The Grat, at that time, surprised her, knocking her to the ground suddenly with it's powerful tentacles, before it wrapped those same tentacles around her throat, lifting her off the ground as it did so. Simultaneously, it poisoned her and she had felt her life quickly slipping away… everything went black, and then she woke up in the Infirmary. As horrible as the experience was, it could have been much worse. It could have been a T-Rexaur.

But that was then, and this was now. Just two days previous, she had earned the title of SeeD cadet, rank eight - above average for a first try. She ignored the compliments, waved them off with a shy smile and a change of subject.

Any more thoughts ceased as she ducked under an approaching tentacle with such speed that loose tendrils of her hair stuck straight up, unable to match her momentum. The tentacle hovered in the air above her as she darted beneath it, arm pulled back and tensed. She reached the Grat before its own tentacle did, and with a strong, quick extension of her arm, delivered a decisive punch to the creature. Her arm passed through the Grat's tough, plant-like skin and into the innards. Disgusting _goo_ covered her arm when she pulled it back out, a milky white, blood-like substance spilled out of the creature's body and onto the grass and dirt beneath it, coating a small patch of grass, quickly turning the lush green blades a crisp brown. The acrid smell of poison reached her nose, but she ignored it; She barely registered the smell, having developed immunity to that particular poison a long time ago.

_Well, that should help attract some serious competition._ She learned, long ago, that the smell, the sight, the _feel_ of battle enticed T-Rexaurs, drew them to the scene like a shark to a drop of blood; they were predators, and, probably by instinct, knew that battle would lead them to something wounded, and that meant easy prey. With a grimace, she wiped as much of the Grat's 'blood' off as possible on the still green grass below, and without even looking, directed a Fira spell behind her. She ignored the sizzling, screaming Grat as her Fira disintegrated the plant-like creature as if it was an everyday occurrence, which to her, it was. _Damn, those things are such a nuisance._

The sound of giggling and voices reached her sensitive ears, suddenly, and she quickly ducked behind some nearby bushes. She peered out from behind the leaves, wondering who else besides her would be awake at this hour, and in the Training Center, too. Two figures emerged from the 'Secret Area', one male and one female. They weren't anyone that she knew of, just a random couple. The man was walking beside the girl, his arm around her shoulders. He was semi-tall, with short brown hair. The girl had long, black hair, styled in a pigtail, and was a bit shorter than the guy. They were both wearing normal cadet uniforms. _So, they're not even SeeD yet... they really shouldn't be in the T.C. this late, with no one else around-_

As if on cue, she felt the familiar vibrations in the ground beneath her, heard the same thundering footsteps not far off in the distance, smelt the same blood and decay. She had come too close to that scent often before, been face to face with a T-Rexaur's sharp, jagged rows of teeth one too many times. She cursed as the vibrations shook harder, the footsteps closer, the smell stronger. She stood, her keen eyes catching the massive creature heading straight for the oblivious couple, and took off like a bullet.

The couple paused, stopped in their tracks at the ground-shaking _roar_ behind them, far too close for comfort. They knew that roar... but they had never been so close to it before. Their eyes widened, the man's green eyes and the girl's brown when the felt the warm air on the back of their necks, smelt the death and decay on its breath, and froze in fear. This was it, this was the last thing that they would experience; the horrid stench of a monster's breath just before it sunk it's massive, serrated teeth into their flesh... they each closed their eyes, holding their breath, not ready to die, but accepting what was about to happen...

Their eyes snapped open at the _scrape _of metal as it was drawn from it's protective wooden home, and they whipped around from their frozen positions just as a woman skidded to a stop a short distance from them, dirt and dust floating around her feet as the soles of her shoes dug into the ground, her weapons clashing against the thick teeth of the T-Rexaur. The couple's gazes traveled up the woman's form, to her arms, where she held the source of the previous sound of metal; two swords, fairly long and slightly less than half the width of Squall's Gunblade. One sword was the pitch-blackness of non-existence, to the point where it did not even shine, seeming to deteriorate the light around it. The other sword was a bright white, almost blinding in its luminosity, having the opposite effect of the black sword, as it seemed to absorb the light around it, shining brilliantly. The swords sung, _thrumming_ with their wielder's effort to hold them against the gaping maw of the monster.

Her arms shook with the effort, muscles straining against the amazing force of the increasingly angry carnivore. She turned her head ever so slightly towards the couple behind her, annoyed at their shocked expressions as they simply stood, rooted to the spot. _Tch, they should be using this time more effectively!_ "What are you waiting for?" She shouted at them, irritation and distress evident in her tone. "_Run!_"

* * *

The couple seemed to snap out of their trance at her voice, wasting no time in turning and bolting away, fear and adrenaline increasing the speed at which they retreated. She sighed internally, a fraction of relief settling through her. Turning back to the task at hand, she instinctively sent a Sleep spell through her weapons, watching as it took effect on the large beast. The beast's huge head lulled forward and its eyes closed as the spell forced slumber upon it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the creature, scrutinizing it. There was something different, something _off_ about this one... but what was it?

The couple raced through the Training Center, nearly tripping over their own feet in their haste. Sweat broke out on their skin, their eyes consistently wide and panicked. They were saved, they were alive, they escaped the gory death that had invaded their minds only moments earlier - but what of the one who saved them? They couldn't leave her there alone, but what were they to do? No one was awake at this hour who could help! Should they wake someone up? If so, who?

Without realizing it, they sped towards the Dormitory, perhaps instinct spurring them to do so, as they rounded the corner, ran up the gray-painted hallway, nearly colliding into a figure on the way.

"Whoa, careful! What's the rush?" The figure asked, voice male and friendly, if not a little tired.

The girl froze, the voice all too familiar to her... why did they have to run into _him_, of all people, and _now_, of all times? Then again, why did she care? Someone's life was at stake! "Ze-"

"S-someone's in the Training Center, a-and s-she needs help!" The man sputtered, panting and stuttering, fear still obviously present in his voice. The girl held her breath, mentally thanking her new boyfriend for speaking before her. At least '_he'_ hadn't noticed her yet.

"Then why aren't you helping her?" The figure asked angrily, already making his way towards the Training Center.

"I-It's a T-Rexaur! We c-couldn't do anything!" The man shouted, trying to defend himself and his girlfriend, but Zell had disappeared at the mention of 'T-Rexaur'.

* * *

The set of teeth came towards her threateningly, and she dodged just before the teeth made contact with her skin, gripping her left arm tightly, ignoring the blood seeping out between her fingers; she wouldn't fall for that again. She cursed as the quick movement set her off-balance, and she couldn't avoid the massive tail that headed towards her in time. The tail came as her in a powerful swing, and she grimaced as it slammed into her ribs, knocking the breath out of her and lifting her off of her feet. She flew through the air from the impact, still gripping her bleeding arm. Her eyes widened when she felt her back _crack_ against the solid trunk of a tree, and then closed just as quickly when she passed through the rough bark, the top half of the tree soaring. With a cry of pain, she finally collided against the not-so-soft earth of the Training Ground below her, winded once again. She coughed, rolling over onto her stomach and spewing out bright red liquid. Wincing and continuing to grip her left arm, she knew that the blood on the ground and the metallic taste all down her throat were not good things. _Should've made an effort to stock some more Full-Cure spells when I ran out after my SeeD test... and T-Rexaur's are supposed to be weak against status effects like Sleep, so how come my spell only lasted a few seconds...?_

Coughing up some more blood and squeezing her eyes shut at the pain all throughout her torso, she wondered why this T-Rexaur was stronger and faster than most. She'd faced them before, defeated them on her own twice before now, and none had been quite this difficult. None had been anywhere close to easy, but none had brought her this close to death, either. Grunting, she attempted to sit up, only for a burning hot pain to burst inside of her torso, yet again taking her breath away as she flopped back down onto the ground. Her eyes threatened to roll back into her head from the intense pain and blood loss, but she knew that if she passed out now, she would never wake up.

The T-Rexaur finally made its way back over to her, its large feet pounding against the ground as it headed towards her. She clenched her jaw as it neared closer, waiting until it stood right over top of her and lowered its face to her, prepared to take a bite. "Not this time." She whispered harshly, hands raised towards the beast's head. "Blizzaga!" She shouted, sharp ice instantly engulfing the entire creature. _Now, I don't have long before that breaks - kuso!_ She cursed once again at seeing her swords lying on the ground across from her, discarded in the area where she was before being hit through a tree. _There's no way I can get to them in this condition! Tch..._ _I only have one Curaga left anyways, might as well use it. Better now than never. _

"Curaga." She whispered, the green glow swirling around her. Her eyes widened, hearing a faint, splintering sound as the ice began to crack around the monster. _What the f- already? The spell should have held longer than that!_ Before the Curaga even finished settling into her body, she moved, scrambled away from her spot beneath the creature just as the ice shattered. The creature let loose a deafening roar of rage behind her, obviously not happy with its meal being hindered. She felt the massive footsteps head towards her before she heard them and glanced behind her. It was catching up, and fast. Eyes narrowing, she pivoted quickly on her feet and raced back _towards_ the oncoming T-Rexaur.

* * *

Zell burst through the second set of doors in the Training Center, bright blue eyes scanning the surrounding area quickly, just in time to see a woman with red and black hair run towards a T-Rexaur that was charging back at her. The woman was weaponless, her left arm was covered in blood, and her face was twisted into a painful expression. He opened his mouth to shout, to get her attention, but no words came out as she _dove_ under the T-Rexaur, it's massive jaws snapping at her and missing her by a hair's width. Zell blinked, shocked. _She's crazy!_

Continuing with the momentum from her dive underneath the creature, she rolled, grinding her teeth together when she felt her ribs begin to fracture again; the results of moving before the Curaga had finished its task. Her lungs burned as she rolled into a standing position and ran for her swords. They were almost within her reach now, just a little closer -

"Hyne damn it!" She shouted, tripping over a random rock on the Training Center field. Twisting in mid-air before she hit the ground, she managed to land on her back and slide with the force of her fall, firing off another Blizzaga at the quickly advancing creature. The ice surrounded the creature once more, giving her just enough time to crawl clumsily backwards to her swords. Grasping the hilts of her two blades, she closed her eyes and smiled, letting out a breath she wasn't aware that she'd been holding. Thankfully, the Curaga had time enough at least to stop the bleeding and heal her left arm before she'd moved and disrupted the spell's effects, therefore she could still wield both swords.

Using the blades to help support her as she settled into a standing position, a small smile broke out on her face when the creature broke free of the Blizzaga, once again not happy with being slowed down. She crouched, blades at the ready. As she expected, the creature let loose another ferocious roar and charged at her. Powering up her swords with ice - the T-Rexaur's weakness - and crouching just a little bit lower, she waited. The creature was getting closer now, closer, closer...

She sprang, kicking up dust and dirt behind her as she rocketed towards the beast. She held out her swords once she reached its thick neck, the blades carving through the tough skin, spewing red blood. She planted her feet on the T-Rexaur's neck beside where her blades were embedded and continued to run until she reached the other side of the neck, more blood spewing, and finally wrenched the swords out of the monster's thick hide and jumped off. She landed, her back facing the creature, each katana coated with blood. She flicked the blades, attempting to rid them of some of the offensive substance, confident that the creature was severely wounded.

The earth shook beneath her feet, the sounds of the thundering footstep making her freeze where she stood. Her heart rate increased, her blood pounded in her head. There was no way in hell that the T-Rexaur was moving after that attack! Turning, slowly, her eyes widened at seeing the creature, blood flowing freely from it's neck, drool sliding out of it's opened mouth as it took another heavy step in her direction. Its eyes, she noted, were wild and even more crazed than usual for a T-Rexaur. Just as the pieces started to put themselves together in her mind, just as she figured out why this T-Rexaur was different from the others, a blur of color flew through the air and directly into the creature, knocking the massive beast over as the blow finished what her swords had started and severed the head from the body. She blinked, a frown making its way onto her face. _The T-Rexaur... it was Berserked, or something similar... almost Zombie-like. But who or what would do that to a _T-Rexaur_, of all things?_

Her thoughts whirling, she turned, ready to leave and head back to her room where she could ponder what she'd seen in silence, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She just barely jumped, twitched more-like, and the person removed their hand from her. She gazed at the person out of the corner of her eye, immediately noting the blond hair, styled up in a gravity-defying manner, the bright blue eyes, and the intricate, sharp, jet-black black tattoo outlining the left half of his face. _Zell Dincht._

"Hey! That was pretty cool!" Zell said, enthusiastically, rubbing the back of his head. He grinned widely, "Not many people can handle a T-Rexaur on their own."

"Well, you did finish it off." She reminded him, hand subconsciously raising to her ribs.

"Yeah, but you did all the work... hey, are you all right?" He asked, moving in front of her, concern written on his face.

She swallowed, fighting to see straight. Curaga or no, she'd lost a lot of blood, and her ribs were fractured, if not broken all over again from her quick movements before the spell had settled. "I've been better." She answered, honestly.

"Here, I'll take you to the Infirmary-"

"That's... not necessary..." She forced, even as his voice became muffled, her vision darkening.

"Hell yes, it's necessary. You look pretty beat up..." His voice trailed off, sounding as if she were underwater.

She frowned, denial rising to her lips as she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and gently pressed against a warm chest before the darkness engulfed her, and she lost consciousness.

* * *

"Hey, she's waking up!" A voice commented excitedly.

"Zell Dincht, be quiet, would you! She's probably not feeling too well, and you're shouting won't make matters any better!" Another voice spoke up, strict and full of authority, yet gentle, like a mother's.

She knew both those voices. "You're both too loud…" She grumbled, before she could stop herself, and covered her eyes with her arm, blocking out the stinging brightness… and possibly, a tinge of pink that rose to her cheeks.

"Sorr—" Zell started, but was quickly cut off by Dr. Kadowaki.

"Oh, stop complaining. From what I've heard, you're lucky to be alive. What have I told you about being so reckless?" The doctor chided, shoes clicking lightly against the tile floor as she made her way towards the girl. Making sure that the girl still wasn't looking, Dr. Kadowaki pulled out a small tube, filled with a clear liquid, and, after sticking a needle that she held in the other hand into the tube and filling it with the aforementioned liquid, she cleared the needle of any air bubbles and quickly stuck it into the girl's previously injured arm.

The girl twitched when she felt the distinct pinch, quickly removing her arm from her eyes and glared at the doctor. "Hey, what the hell was that for?" Her glare quickly turned into a squint as the light stung her eyes.

The doctor sighed in an irritated manner and removed the needle, done injecting the liquid. "You know as well as I do how bad an infection can get if it's not taken care of, and you did get bitten by a T-Rexaur. I'm just taking precautions. Would you rather lose your arm?"

"That's what Esuna is for." The girl mumbled childishly, averting her gaze.

"You also know how important it is not to throw magic around for every little problem." Dr. Kadowaki chided once again, her dark hair showing more signs of gray than usual. "What are you complaining about anyways? A needle is nothing compared to the injuries you were brought in here with last night."

_Yes, but those injuries are far less annoying._ She nearly _huffed_, but refrained, not wanting to seem any more childish. She heard a light chuckle from the corner of the room and blushed. _I forgot that he was here…_ Shyly, she glanced at the blond SeeD, silently admiring his tattoo, as usual. "Umm, thanks for… helping me out." She said softly, wondering why her throat felt so dry.

"Ah, no problem!" He replied, pushing himself off of the wall and grinning. He stepped towards her, breathed on his hand a couple times before rubbing it on his shirt and holding it out for her to shake. "Zell Dincht."

She shook his hand without a second thought, her grip soft and gentle, while his was strong and firm. His eyes seemed to widen just enough that she wondered if she was imagining it, but she shook the thoughts from her head temporarily and replied, "Miu Kuronaga."

Realizing that he was still holding onto her hand, Zell quickly let go and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Nice to meet'cha, Miu!"

"You too." Miu replied, her hand dropping gracefully back onto the Infirmary bed, oblivious to the doctor's mischievous gaze.

The doctor cleared her throat suddenly, secretly enjoying the startled jumps of the two teens, "…Well, Miu, you're free to go, but I better not see you back in here again any time soon, ya hear?"

A little too quickly, Miu hopped off of the bed and stumbled, the lack of blood still affecting her. Zell immediately put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and as a reaction, she placed her hand on his arm to regain her balance. When her legs decided to obey her again, she let go, blushing deeply. "Thanks." She said quietly, nervously fiddling with the hem of the skirt she wore over top of her pants, before she turned around and grabbed her swords that were resting on a chair in the corner of her room.

The doctor _tsk tsk'd_ her, frowning. "I said I did _not_ want to see you in here again soon, remember?" Sighing, Dr. Kadowaki ran a hand through her hair, looking up at the ceiling in agitation. "Will you _ever_ quit being so reckless? I think I've seen you in here almost as much, if not more than Squall and Seifer, not to mention you, Zell! You're no better, so quit snickering!"

Zell stopped laughing instantly, although he was still grinning. "Yes, ma-am!" He responded with a mock-salute. The doctor merely rolled her eyes at him. Leaning over, he cupped his hand near his mouth and whispered to Miu, "And here I thought she lectured me a lot! You must be a regular!" He winked at Miu and stood up straight again when Dr. Kadowaki glared at him.

Miu blushed – again – at Zell's wink, but covered her mouth as she snickered, trying to hold back the sound, so as not to anger the doctor further. Dr. Kadowaki was the closest thing that Miu had to a mother, after all… However, her laughter was cut short at the doctor's next words.

"Zell, I want you to keep an eye on Miu for a while, if you can. There was something strange in that T-Rexaur's blood that I found on her, and I don't trust it. I also don't trust _her_ to come to me if there's a problem." Miu seemed about to retort, but the hard stare she received from Dr. Kadowaki made her mouth snap shut. "All right?"

Nodding, Zell glanced at Miu out of the corner of his eye and then looked back at the doctor. "Will do, doc."

The doctor nodded sternly, before ushering the two out of the small white room. "Now go on, go! I have more patients to deal with!"

* * *

After nearly falling over four times in a row while going just down the Infirmary hallway, Miu had finally given up and accepted Zell's help, slinging her arm around his broad shoulders as he wrapped an arm around her back for support, lest she fall yet again. Currently, the blond was shaking his head at her stubbornness. She was worse than Squall! "Are you sure you should be leaving the Infirmary so soon?" Zell asked, concerned.

Miu nodded, softly gripping the blond's shoulder when another dizzy spell came over her. _Stupid blood loss._ "I'm fine, just weak."

"You sure it doesn't have anything to do with the weird T-Rexaur blood that doc found on you?"

Miu frowned. _Why is he so concerned? He doesn't even know me._ "I'm just dizzy from blood loss. I'll be fine once I get something to eat and some rest." _If I have time to rest, anyways. I should be receiving my first SeeD mission soon..._

"Well then, let's stop by the Caff, ne? I'm craving a hotdog about now, anyways." Zell grinned. He knew that all the hotdogs were gone by this point in time, but he found Miu interesting, and he had to keep an eye on her anyways, so why not get to know her better? He'd always noticed her around Garden as it was, and she'd always been alone... kind of the way Squall used to be.

"I - I'd really rather just get some sleep-"

"Tch, you were just out for almost two days; the last thing you need is more sleep!" Zell exclaimed cheerfully, hoisting Miu off of her feet when he felt her begin to protest, and heading quickly in the direction of the Cafeteria, holding the bewildered girl bridal-style. "Come on, let's hurry before all the good stuff's gone!"

Before she even had the time to blush, let alone protest the blond SeeD's actions, they had already arrived in the Cafeteria and she was gently set down on her feet. She blinked, slightly in awe of Zell's skills. She hadn't even felt him move...

"So, whaddaya want?" Zell asked suddenly, his voice bringing her out of her thoughts, "It's my treat, so don't be shy!"

She glanced at him, leaning on the Cafeteria counter – much to the annoyance of the lunch ladies – his usual, wide grin plastered onto his face. "Ramen." She answered absently, distracted by his clear, blue eyes. There was something... _odd_, for lack of a better word, about his cheerful exterior today. Her head snapped to the side, suddenly, as she caught a familiar voice from around the corner - it was coming from the Cafeteria hallway. By the time she turned her head back towards Zell, he'd already finished ordering and was heading towards her with the food on a tray. She swallowed thickly, desperately wanting to hide...

No, she couldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to be so pathetic. She was not afraid of him - not anymore.

With a determined look in her normally dull eyes, she began heading to an empty table in the Cafeteria, Zell following closely behind her. The table was in the back corner of the room, situated by the windows, providing an excellent view of the landscape outside of Garden. No one ever sat here, and she never could comprehend why... Maybe, just maybe, it was because of her. Since day one in Balamb Garden, she had claimed this table. Arriving early to the Caff every day, she would buy her meal, retreat to this table in the back corner, and eat her meal as she gazed outside. She always ate alone; no one ever bothered to talk to her, to even attempt to sit with her - not that she minded. The solitary meals allowed her time to think.

But now, for the first time, ever, since she was welcomed into this place, she would not eat alone. Finally reaching the table, she sat on the chair closest to the window, silent as Zell placed the tray down and plopped into the chair across from her. The previously loud and animated chatter of the other cadets and students in the surrounding tables quited down immediately to a dull mumble. A ghost of a smirk passed over Miu's face. So, she had been right all these years. The other students did know she existed, they just liked to judge and gossip about her from afar. And all this time she'd thought she was simply being paranoid when she felt their stares on her, heard their whispered words. Oh, well. She didn't blame them - she didn't exactly scream 'sociality'.

If Zell noticed the stares, heard the whispers as the entire Cafeteria, it seemed, watched them, scrutinized them, he said nothing. He merely placed her bowl of ramen down in front of her and began to eat his own lunch - a sandwich of some sort. Absently, Miu began to eat her own food, staring out the window, as she always did, letting her mind wander. Her eyes traveled over the lush green fields, the deep, dark forest, the high, snow-capped mountains in the distance... it was a beautiful sight. If not for the stares that she felt bore into the back of her head, it would have been serene, peaceful, even. She sighed, giving up on zoning out into her usual trance, and turned back to Zell, who had already wolfed down one sandwich and was moving onto the next.

"If you don't slow down, you're going to choke." Miu warned quietly, an indifferent expression on her face, except for the tiniest fraction of an amused smile on her lips. The fraction of a smile didn't last, however, when Zell suddenly swallowed a rather large mouthful and looked past her. She already knew what - or rather, whom - he was looking at. It was the owner of the voice from earlier, his dark shadow looming over her as he stood directly behind her.

"Isn't that funny? I said the same thing to you once, Miu, in a little hotel room in Dollet-"

The owner of the voice spoke, deep and sinister, bringing back memories that she preferred stay hidden in the deepest recesses of her mind.

Determined, she pretended not to notice, even when Zell started to stand, an angry look on his face. Obviously, he'd figured out the hidden connotations in the previous sentence. "Zell," She started, grabbing the blond's attention before he got himself into trouble, "I've been wanting to work on my martial arts lately, think that you could help me out sometime?" She didn't turn around, but she could still see the scowl on _his_ face.

Zell paused in his actions, glaring at the tall man standing behind Miu, dressed in a large dark trench coat. The man had long dark hair, down to about his shoulders, and a bulky, strong build. An axe was strapped to his back, razor sharp edges glinting under the light. Despite how bad his urge was to knock this man out the Cafeteria window, and then some, Zell could tell that Miu wished otherwise, since she tried to distract him. Not once taking his eyes off of the 'intruder', Zell sat back down and answered Miu with a simple, "Sure."

The man standing behind Miu looked from Miu to Zell, and back again, a deep scowl settling on his attractively masculine face. Apparently, he didn't like being ignored... he also seemed to be getting the wrong idea about the two at the table in front of him, but maybe that was Miu's intention. "So, moved on to another one, have you, Miu?" He sneered, "I hope you treat him as well as you did me."

"Why you-" Zell began, once again starting to rise from his chair.

Miu interrupted once again, an obviously fake smile plastered onto her face, "Zell, how soon do you think you could help me train?"

Zell finally tore his eyes away from the tall figure behind Miu and focused on the girl. Her eyes were closed, the smile on her face was too wide, too forced, and she was gripping her chopsticks with white knuckles. Whatever her history was with this guy, it wasn't good, and for some reason, she was doing her best to ignore him. How could she sit there and take insults like that?

The man focused his fierce green eyes on Zell, nearly snarling in anger at being ignored again. "Have fun with her; she's one hell of a-"

The chopsticks in Miu's hands cracked and broke, and the man scoffed arrogantly before sauntering off. Zell now stood fully, turning in the direction of the man, when her voice, sounding so dead and so hurt at the same time, stopped him in his tracks.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"...Who was that guy?" Zell asked, either oblivious or purposely ignoring the many eyes directed at himself and Miu.

She was looking back out the window, sharp bangs shadowing her eyes from view. "Ex-boyfriend." Was the only explanation she offered.

"And why is he so-"

"He's arrogant, jealous, and obsessed with power. He hates me because I broke up with him. I stopped you from going after him because he's not worth getting yourself into trouble for."

Zell frowned, leaning forward, elbows on the table. "Why didn't you say anything to him?"

"I... don't want to provoke him."

Cautiously sitting back down in the chair, Zell turned narrowed eyes to the girl, "What do you mean? You shouldn't take that crap!"

"That's just it," Miu replied casually, a baleful wisp of a smirk crossing her face, "If I decided to react, things would get out of hand. I'd rather not go to prison, especially for murder." She ignored the startled gasps, the stares, the whispers that cascaded throughout the Cafeteria. None of them knew her, none of them cared about her anyways, so why should it matter what they thought of her? It didn't.

"I guess you've got a point." Zell laughed strangely, something hidden within the amused sound, "I've had to restrain myself enough times to know." His wide grin spread as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, fingers moving smoothly through his soft blond hair. _But still... what's with that guy?_ His gaze moved to her face, sharp red and black bangs falling in front of her dull red eyes, while the longer layers framed her face and fell over her shoulders. He caught sight of the jagged line underneath her right eye, on her cheekbone. His brows knitted together in confusion, but he didn't feel right asking about it. Not yet.

The whispers and bits of chatter in the Cafeteria came to a stop as a light beeping sounded through the area, and a familiar voice rang over the P.A. "Miu Kuronaga, please report to the Headmaster's Office, immediately. I repeat, Miu Kuronaga..."

Miu stood, a false smile on her face, eyes closed. "Well, thanks for the food..."

"You didn't even really get to eat any." Zell pointed out, sounding disappointed and almost apologetic.

She waved her hand dismissively at him, opening her eyes. Her eyes involuntarily flicked over to the blond SeeD's tattoo, admiring the intricate, spiky, black design as she always did. "That's fine, it's the thought that counts, ne?"

"Rain-check?" He asked, his voice hopeful.

"Sure." Miu replied distractedly, heading away from the table, eyes focused straight ahead. The other occupants of the tables watched her leave, following every footstep as she exited the Cafeteria, walking down the long red hallway before finally heading to Squall's Office. She found comfort in the brief silence of the elevator ride, despite the vague sense of loneliness that she pushed away. She was twenty now; she'd arrived at Balamb Garden nearly ten years ago... she had been completely alone the entire time, so why should it bother her now?

It didn't, she told herself.

It didn't.

* * *

**AN:** Lemme know what you thought of the first chapter, please! If you read the last version of this story, tell me if you liked that version or this one better. Feel free to point out and spelling or grammatical errors, please!


	2. Chapter 2

Flyleaf – In the Dark

_I've written songs (In the dark, in the dark, in the dark, in the dark)  
I've felt inspired  
(In the dark, in the dark, in the dark, in the dark)  
I hide myself  
(In the dark, in the dark, in the dark, in the dark)  
Used to be afraid  
(Of the dark, of the dark, of the dark, of the dark)  
Those in the light know we die  
(In the dark, in the dark, in the dark, in the dark)_

_There's only artificial light here  
My flaws hide well here  
I used to be afraid of cluttered noises  
Now I'm afraid of silence  
Fill this space idle words_

_[Chorus]  
I'm scared to death of light and silence  
Jesus kill me inside this  
Raise me up to live again  
Like You did, like You did_

_Now I am mute despite myself  
All of them are gone  
The silence overtakes me  
The idle words forsake me  
And I am left to face me_

_I'm held accountable  
For every idle word  
Curse the idle words_

_[Chorus]_

_Glory shows up, exposes us  
I'm naked here, forsaken here  
By the dark, by the dark, by the dark_

_[Chorus]_

**Quiet**

Squall eyed the darkly dressed girl from behind his desk as she stepped obediently into his office. Her posture was perfect – shoulders forward, back straight, chin up, elbow locked as her hand rose in a stiff salute. Her unusually blood red eyes were dull, not even the slightest trace of emotion could be found in that gaze, or in any other part of her body language, for that matter. Her swords, normally strapped across her back, were stuck under her belt instead, one resting at each hip. She must have fastened them in a hurry... and yet, they were still perfectly within reach, easy to withdraw if a battle should occur. She looked like the perfect model of a SeeD already, and she'd only become one a few days prior... She reminded Squall of himself, before he traveled the world with his friends; before he _saved_ the world with his friends; before his friends _saved him_. Perfect in every battle-oriented way. The perfect soldier...

He hated it.

She was mindless, robotic. She did what she was told, and she did it well – almost too well. She either didn't know how, or didn't care enough to think for herself. And judging from the amount of injury reports he'd received from Dr. Kadowaki with her name in them... he assumed the latter. She was reckless, but only when she was alone (which was most of the time); her attitude confused him.

_...Whatever._

"Kuronaga, Miu."

"Yes." She replied, quickly, saluting.

Squall cringed internally. He wasn't fond of formalities. "At ease." She relaxed, barely. The only change in her posture was the slight lean she had on her left leg. He noted that she seemed exceptionally pale. "...You did well on your SeeD test, scoring three ranks higher than average. I'm sure you've already been told, but congratulations, anyways."

"Thank-you, sir."

Her tone was so _dead_ and empty... Squall shook his head of the thoughts. "I recieved an injury report from Dr. Kadowaki early this morning, concerning you. How are you feeling?"

She frowned, eyebrows knitting together. She'd been checked out of the Infirmary not long ago by the doctor... why was the Headmaster asking her how she was? "I'm... fine, sir."

"What were your injuries?"

_Didn't he just tell me that he received a report?_ "...Significant blood loss, deep puncture wounds in my left bicep, some broken or fractured ribs, some internal bleeding... the rest is minor." Miu replied indifferently. She chose not to voice her confusion at the Headmaster's questioning, despite her curiosity. Squall had never been very 'social-able'; he wasn't one to make small talk, especially about subjects that didn't directly concern him. What was he up to?

Squall nodded, dark hair falling in front of his grey-blue eyes, which were focusing directly on Miu. She didn't squirm under his gaze, as most people did... but he got the feeling that she wasn't comfortable with it, either. He mentally shrugged. He had called her here for a reason, and he might as well get it over with. "I was planning on giving you your first SeeD mission today... but-"

"Excuse my interruption, please, sir, but I am still capable of-"

"Miu," Squall stopped her, rising from his chair and walking around to the front of his desk, "You can barely stand right now. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" He questioned, leaning back slightly on the hard wood and crossing his arms, his eyes still on her.

"I'm merely dizzy from blood loss, sir." Miu replied calmly, biting back a sarcastic comment. Squall wasn't Headmaster for nothing.

He nearly rolled his eyes. "There is a difference between ambition and recklessness."

"Not much of one." Miu commented, coolly.

"You are being too risky with your own life." Squall continued, frown deepening.

"I mean no disrespect, but... It is my own life to be risky _with_, sir. It also seems to be working out for me so far." _What's the big deal, anyways? I do my job, and that's that. Who cares how I do it, as long as it gets done?_ Miu bit the inside of her cheek. What was with all the concern today? No one even bothered to pay attention to her all these years, and now that she was a SeeD, everyone suddenly _cared_? _Ridiculous_.

"Sooner or later – sooner at the rate you're going – it will stop working, and you'll be dead. Is that what you want?" Squall asked clearly. Miu looked away, averted her eyes and remained silent. He decided to continue, rather than dwell on her reaction, "I have been receiving these injury reports on you from Dr. Kadowaki a lot over the past year, and I don't know how many Cid received before then, but it is going to stop. As of now, you are not to enter the Training Area or leave the Garden grounds without another SeeD with at least one year of experience accompanying you." Squall ordered, ignoring the way that her jaw clenched angrily and her fists curled at her sides. His eyes flicked briefly over to the elevator, before they moved back to Miu, his gaze steady. "And Zell, you can come out now."

There was a muffled curse and then some rustling of clothing as Zell stepped out from the elevator, grinning and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Get me every time, eh Squall?" He laughed nervously, glancing between the two previous occupants of the room. "So, what's up?"

"You don't have any missions over the next while, do you Zell?" Squall asked curiously... or, as curiously as was possible, coming from Squall.

Zell blinked, his hand dropping down beside him as he shook his head. "Nah. Just got back from a big one a couple days ago, remember? You said you were forcing me to take a break for a while...?" Quickly, Zell glanced once again from Squall to Miu, and then back to Squall. "Why?"

"I've put Miu on a... probation, of sorts. She is not allowed to enter the T.C., or leave the Garden without the company of a Seed with at least one year of experience. I would like you to accompany her for a while." Squall explained, indifferent as always, and walked back around his desk, seating himself back into his chair.

"Sure thing, Squall..." Zell replied absently, gazing at Miu out of the corner of his bright blue eyes.

The Headmaster shuffled some papers around on his desk. "You are both dismissed."

Miu turned sharply on her heel and headed for the elevator. Zell was right beside her, as she expected, and it took a good deal of her will power to force a smile onto her face. She was definitely _not_ in the mood for company right now... or ever, really, but especially not right now. She needed to vent her anger... and she could not do that with another person present. Usually, venting her anger required time in the T.C., or outside of Garden... somewhere with lots of monsters to unleash on. Miu sighed internally when the elevator doors closed and she felt the shift as the elevator began moving to the next floor down. She was sure that Squall would notify the guards at the gate not to let her out alone... what he would do to keep her out of the T.C., she didn't know, but she was sure that he would come up with something. As for right now... the feeling of Zell's eyes on her was getting irritating. "I guess I've been a little too reckless for Squall's taste, ne?" Miu said humorously, breaking the short silence. A _beep_ sounded and the elevator doors opened, allowing Miu and Zell to step out onto the first floor of Balamb Garden.

"I guess so," Zell agreed, and then added, "But if you're too reckless for _Squall's_ tastes, then you're too reckless, period."

"Maybe." Miu shrugged, refusing to agree, but not wanting to argue, either.

"...So, once you're back to one-hundred percent, want to work on your martial arts, like you asked me earlier?" Zell asked suddenly, thankfully changing the subject.

"Sure." _Damn, that'll make me nervous, but... I might as well, since it seems I won't have anything else to do for a while... At least I know he was listening earlier._ "So," Miu began, a hint of suspicion in her voice, "What were you doing, waiting around in the elevator...?"

"Err, well, you see – that is..." Zell stuttered, grinning and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he often did, "I figured that, you really needed to eat after losing all that blood, so... I figured I'd bring what was left of your ramen to you." The blond explained, holding out the bowl of still-steaming noodles and broth in front of him.

Miu blinked, her eyebrows rising. How had she missed the bowl of ramen before? Silently, she berated herself for being so oblivious. A large portion of her self-training was always dedicated to awareness, and yet she hadn't noticed a bowl of ramen in Zell's hands... Mentally, Miu sighed. _That T-Rexaur must have taken more out of me than I realized._ "I see... you didn't have to, but... thanks." Miu shyly replied, gently reaching out and taking the bowl from Zell's outstretched hand. She held the bowl with one hand, accepting the chopsticks from Zell with the other. The warm, salty smell wafted to her nose, reminding her of just how hungry she truly was.

"It's no problem!" Zell assured the mysterious girl, "Squall doesn't usually take long when he calls people to his office anyways, unless it's Rinoa..." He trailed off, a strange expression taking over his features.

Miu snickered, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she thought of the reasons for Squall to only take his time with Rinoa. Holding the bowl carefully, still faintly blushing, Miu headed down the steps, finally realizing that standing directly in front of the elevator was not very wise – especially when holding a bowl full of steaming hot ingredients. She heard Zell follow her, albeit barely; his steps were so light they were hardly audible. She decided not to dwell on the 'tag-a-long' and instead focused on carrying her ramen down a flight of steps without spilling any.

The two reached the bottom of the steps, the brief moment of relative silence bothering neither of the two SeeDs. Miu glanced quickly at Zell to see whether or not he was still following, and then paused, Zell likewise stopping in his steps.

"Something wrong?" The Dincht asked, a slightly concerned frown on his tattooed face.

"Ano..." Miu started, closing her eyes, "Since you're following me anyways... can you hold the ramen while we walk, incase I... fall, or something?"

Realization dawning on him, Zell resisted the urge to slap himself in the head and instead took the ramen in one hand. "Hyne, I'm sorry! I forgot that you're still weak, you hide it so well..."

"It's a gift." Miu joked, slowly opening her eyes. Zell's arm came towards her, and she sighed at his intentions, but did not resist. He wrapped his free arm underneath _her_ arm and around her back, supporting her as they walked. Similarly, Miu placed her arm over Zell's broad shoulders, the height advantage he had over her making it slightly awkward. She couldn't stop the blush that built on her face, unused to physical contact as she was. Despite her discomfort, she was feeling rather lightheaded, and grudgingly accepted that maybe she did need some help getting around.

"I'd say." Zell agreed, and the two began to walk in-sync towards the Dormitory. "Wait... you _are_ heading back to your room, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, I heard you recently became a SeeD, with an impressive rank, at that." Zell stated, attempting to make conversation as they dodged a few hurrying cadets running past them to the elevator. _Probably late for class... heh, brings back memories._

"Something like that." Miu replied.

"Rank eight, right? That _is_ pretty impressive."

"Not as impressive as saving the world."

"Ahah..." Zell chuckled awkwardly, "Well, you see... it wasn't just me, soo..."

"You were still a part of it – you deserve some credit, too." Miu stated softly.

"Don't change the subject." Zell teased, a wide smile on his face.

"I could say the same thing to you." Miu retorted quietly, resulting in another laugh from her blond companion.

"Well, I guess that's true... but saving the world isn't as glorious as it sounds. I mean, I _still_ don't get to ride my T-Board around Garden!" The 'hero' mock-whined, eliciting a light chuckle from his black-and-red haired companion.

"That's a shame." Miu sympathized, a small mischievous smirk forming on her normally impassive face. "I guess that means no more 'accidental' trips to the girl's residence for you..."

Zell blanched, nearly spilling the ramen in his surprise. "H-how do you know about that?"

"I was there."

"Seriously?" Zell blinked, brows furrowing as he attempted to remember the rather embarrassing experience. "It all happened so fast..."

"Probably because of your rather speedy escape."

"Can you blame me? I swear, some of those chicks had the craziest looks in their eyes!" The memory caused a small shudder to course through Zell.

The two turned down the grey coloured hallway leading into the dormitory. The area was all but deserted, with most students in class, training, or out on missions at this time of day. The silence stretched even into the deeper sections of the dormitory, reserved for SeeDs. Miu was keenly aware of her footsteps thudding along as she walked, in comparison to Zell's – which she couldn't hear at all. She held back a frown, wanting to train – to become better than she was. So lost in thought was Miu, that she nearly walked right by the door to her room.

"Aha," Miu said, stopping in her tracks and backing up a few steps, placing herself in front of the door, "Here I am." She stated awkwardly, reaching into a pant pocket beneath her skirt. A hollow _clank_ echoed suddenly behind her, and she paused in her movements. She turned around to the source of the noise, an immediate sigh escaping her. She crouched down and picked up the large piece of wood that had broken off of one of her swords' sheaths. "Kuso..." _I'll have to get new ones again... although I'm surprised this didn't break right away, after getting smashed through that tree..._

"Are those expensive?"

"The sheaths? Not really... not these wooden ones, at least. I guess it's my recklessness, but I tend to break them a lot, so I buy the cheap ones." Miu replied distractedly, holding a chunk of wood in one hand, and picking up some smaller slices that had broken off with the other. Garden's maintenance would take care of the mess eventually, but she didn't want to risk some of the younger children that liked to race around Garden somehow managing to get slivers from the shattered wood. Despite the fact that this was Seed Quarters, the children usually managed to find their way into these restricted areas eventually.

After collecting all of the shards that she could, Miu unlocked her door and nudged it open with her foot. Stepping inside, she held the door open with her foot and waited for Zell to take the hint. After a few seconds, the blond followed her inside, still holding the bowl of ramen in one hand. Once Zell passed the door, Miu moved her foot and the door quietly slid back into place and clicked shut. "Take a seat, uhh… wherever." She said to Zell as she headed into the bathroom, depositing the shards of wood in the small white garbage unit. Silently, she thanked Hyne that she'd cleaned her room a couple of days prior. Normally, clothes and things would be randomly strewn about the place, books would be opened and resting on any available surfaces, and tools (such as sharpening stones for her katana) would be laying somewhere on the floor.

Miu was alone – she _never _had visitors – so why bother to make sure her room was neat and tidy? She'd only cleaned it recently out of boredom.

Zell grabbed a lone chair with his free hand and set it down beside Miu's bed. Placing the bowl of ramen down on Miu's small bedside table, Zell plopped down into the chair. Miu came back out of the bathroom and took a seat on the edge of the bed, grabbing the bowl of ramen as she did so. Zell sat closer than she was comfortable with, but she supposed that not everyone's 'personal bubble' was as large as hers. A new pair of chopsticks hovered in front of her face suddenly, and she took them from Zell shyly. "Um… thanks."

"Don't mention it." Zell shrugged, and stayed silent for a (short) moment while Miu began to eat. "So… that guy in the caff…"

Miu groaned internally. She should've expected Zell to bring 'that guy' up. "Like I said, jealous ex-boyfriend deal."

Frowning, Zell crossed his arms over his chest. "I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"There is," Miu admitted in between bites, "But I… don't really want to talk about it."

Zell watched Miu's expression, the way she wouldn't look him in the eye, the way she tilted her head so that her bangs would hide her eyes. _So, it's a touchy subject._ "…Fair enough."

"Don't worry about him. He doesn't really bother me anymore." Miu shrugged, slurping up some noodles. "I'm assuming he bothered me today because you were there – you know, the jealousy thing. I usually sit alone, so he probably thought…" She trailed off, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

Zell cleared his throat and adjusted his seat. "So, uhh… you wanted help with your martial arts, right? We both have some time off, and I'm supposed to follow you around anyways, so… once your back to normal, we can… start that, yeah?"

Shifting nervously, Miu nodded. "Yep…" _Slurp._

"Anyways, I should probably get going… see ya around?"

"Sure thing."

Nodding, Zell stood, walking quickly toward the door. He paused to offer Miu a small wave on his way out, and then he was gone, the door clicking solidly into place behind him.

Miu let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. _Apparently neither of us is fantastic at starting a conversation… awkward, much?_ Shaking the thoughts from her head, Miu finished her ramen in silence, placing the bowl aside when she was done and falling back onto her bed. Her mind wandered, back to the strangeness of the T-Rexaur and whatever _oddness_ Dr. Kadowaki found in it's blood… and then the room started to spin, and she succumbed to darkness.

* * *

The elevator beeped, but Squall didn't take his eyes off the file he was currently browsing. He already knew who had entered his office – he always knew. He _felt_ it, every time she was close. No matter that her smell was unique and distinct to him now, that the sound of her footsteps would give her away – none of that mattered, because he felt it, felt her presence in his chest and in his gut. The feeling… it was frightening and wonderful all at the same time, a warm weight that took root in him.

She slid her slender arms around his neck from behind, resting her head against his. The ends of her soft dark hair tickled his neck. Slowly, Squall allowed a small smile to form on his face.

"Hey."

"Hey." Squall echoed, flipping back to the first page of the file so that Rinoa would know what – or who – he was reading about.

"Kuronaga Miu." Rinoa stated, reading the name off of the paper. "Just became a SeeD… but she's suspended?"

"For now." Squall answered, watching out of the corner of his eye as Rinoa removed herself from his back and moved to sit on the edge of his desk, in front of him. She wore the same light blue-over-black outfit that he remembered so fondly, from all their time together… saving the world, and each other.

Crossing one leg over the other, Rinoa placed her hands on the desk to steady herself and asked, "So, who is she?"

"A recent SeeD, like you said." Squall shrugged, "She has above average scores almost everywhere."

"However…?" Rinoa prodded as Squall handed her the file.

"She's reckless. And… alone."

Rinoa's pink lips tilted up in a smirk. "Sounds familiar."

Ignoring the jab, the Headmaster continued, "I've assigned Zell to watch over her for a while."

Pausing in the midst of turning a page, the angel looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Squall… _matchmaking_?"

Ignoring the rather large grin on his girlfriend's beautiful face, Squall shook his head. "I _don't _'match-make'."

"Oh _come on_! You know that Zell is just coming out of a relationship, and you're throwing him this 'damsel-in-distress' assignment?" Rinoa chuckled, "If that's not matchmaking, I don't know what is."

Placing his head in his hands, Squall sighed. "It's not matchmaking, and it's not an assignment. Not really. He just has to make sure she doesn't get herself killed until she's healed up."

'_Mmhmm-_ing', Rinoa placed the file back down on the desk, a mischievous glint in her warm brown eyes. "Well, if you're not going to help them out, I guess I will."

Gazing up from behind his palms at the excited look his significant other was giving him, Squall could only wonder what he had incidentally started.

_Whatever._

* * *

He leaned against the wall, down the hallway from the library. His blue-teal eyes stared down that hall, watching as a darkly dressed, black-and-red haired figure disappeared through the large double-doors. Vaguely, he wondered if she realized how much her dark clothing made her stand out against the whiteness of Balamb Garden's walls and floors. Sighing, he scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. He wasn't stalking her. No, he was just… keeping an eye on her, since both the doc' and Squall had asked him to.

"_Shit_." Zell cursed, knowing that he was lying to himself. He _was_ stalking Miu. Why oh _why_ did Squall have to ask him to 'baby-sit' her? That just – just gave him an excuse to be a creep and follow her around! He was supposed to keep his distance from women for a while, Hyne damn it!

"Something wrong?" A light, feminine voice asked from beside him, and Zell nearly jumped.

…Okay, he did jump, but just a little.

"Crap, Rinoa, don't sneak up on me like that!" Zell said, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to regain some of his dignity.

"Normally I wouldn't be able to." Rinoa pointed out, raising a delicate dark eyebrow at her friend. "Something wrong?" She repeated, scrutinizing Zell's tense posture.

"N-no." Zell answered, accidentally looking back down the library hallway.

Rinoa frowned, pursing her lips together. "You know, you'll have to go back to the library eventually. You can't avoid 'the pigtail' forever."

"Says who?" Zell retorted, trying to ignore the tightening in his chest at the nickname of his recent ex – 'the pigtail', referring to the style her hair was always kept in – who worked in the library full-time.

"Says _life_." Rinoa stated, stepping closer to Zell and forcing him to look her in the eye. "What happens when you want to read a book and you don't have it?" She asked, poking a finger into his chest, "What happens when you need to research something for a mission and you need a book? What happens if you end up an instructor and need books to teach the class? What happens if-"

"Alright, alright! I get it!" Zell said, a little louder than he'd meant to, and placed his hands up defensively. "I know I'll have to go back in there eventually, but… I don't right now, so I'm going to wait a little longer, okay?"

Gaze softening, Rinoa nodded and backed up a couple of steps. "I know you really cared about her-"

"I still do." Zell admitted, relaxing back against the wall.

Rinoa placed a hand on Zell's well-muscled shoulder. "I know." She said quietly, thoughts wandering back to an ex of her own. She still worried about Seifer, but there was nothing she could do for him now. She was happy with Squall, and she only hoped that Seifer would find his own happiness outside of Garden. Shaking her head, Rinoa removed her hand from Zell's shoulder and smiled. "Anyways… I heard Squall asked you to watch over someone? He said she reminded him of himself, from before…"

"She can be pretty distant." Zell shrugged, looking up at the ceiling, "But she's not really as hostile as Squall used to be."

"At least, not with you." Rinoa commented, in an off-handed sort of way, turning to face away from Zell.

Eyebrows lowering, Zell couldn't help himself. "…What do you mean?"

Hiding her smirk, Rinoa explained, "I asked around about her. Most people know absolutely nothing about her, and those that do have nothing… pleasant, to say." Rinoa shrugged. "She was Quistis' student until recently, and Quistis says that she could hardly get two words from Miu, and whenever she did, it was usually something along the lines of, '_None of your business_'. The other students talked about icy glares and an aloof disposition."

"Not that any of that even matters - she's… probably just shy." Zell defended awkwardly, "Have you asked the Doc?"

Rinoa nodded. "Yep. Though I can tell at least Dr. Kadowaki is fond of her, she immediately went into a rant about recklessness and… what was it… something along the lines of indifference."

"Okay," Zell said slowly, "But she's not outright _mean_ to people."

"No, she just doesn't _care_ about them."

"You don't know that!"

"I'm just saying that's how she _acts_." Rinoa corrected, wincing slightly at Zell's volume.

"Oh yeah? Well she just saved the lives of two people a few days ago, from a T-Rexaur!" The blonde pointed out smugly.

"Really?" Rinoa paused, "That wasn't in the report. You only told Squall about the fight."

"That's because… because…"

"Because he didn't want to get them in trouble for being out past curfew in the T.C., considering that neither of them has reached SeeD rank yet. Right?"

Both Zell and Rinoa stiffened, turning to face the sound of the new voice with cheesy smiles planted on their faces.

"You know, those smiles would look a lot less fake if the rest of your faces didn't look so surprised." Miu remarked, holding two large books against her chest. At the continued silence of the two, Miu continued calmly, "Anyways, if you want confirmation, one of those people is in the library right now. The one with the pigtail."

"H-how long have you—" Zell started, mentally kicking himself for stuttering.

Miu shrugged. "Long enough."

"Listen, Miu, right? I, umm—" Rinoa started, running a hand through her dark hair in frustration.

"It's alright," Miu interrupted, "You don't have to explain. You're right, anyways."

"I am?" Rinoa asked, eyebrows lowering in confusion. That couldn't be the case… she had only said those things to get a rise out of Zell, to see his reaction, to figure out how he might feel about Miu. She hadn't really meant any of it, even if what she'd said about asking around was true, she didn't actually believe what people said—

"I don't care about them," Miu elaborated, gesturing her head in the direction of a large group of wandering students. Shrugging, she added," It's… mutual." Before bowling slightly and walking off in the direction of the dorms, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Zell as she left.

"_Shit_." Both Rinoa and Zell echoed at the same time, watching the subject of their previous conversation walk away as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Miu closed and locked the door behind her. She stepped into her room, placing the two books down on her bed. She sat down next to them, and began staring at the floor.

The room was quiet around her. The lack of sound … she found it comforting. The silence was familiar. It calmed her.

Usually.

One hand rose up, slowly, in front of her. Then, snapped towards her, where her fingers grasped her shirt tightly. What was this _feeling_ in her chest? This… _pressure_? She squished her eyes shut. She bit her lower lip. The feeling remained, and she hated it. She felt as if there was a weight lying on her that she couldn't push off no matter how hard she tried. This… this _helplessness_, choked her, suffocated her. She couldn't stand it.

Rinoa and Zell popped into her mind, and the weight intensified. Miu shook her head vigorously, still biting her lip. She'd heard people gossip about her before, and she always let their words roll off her back. The gossip never bothered her. So why did it bother her now?

She found herself hating the silence. She wanted noise – she wanted _something_ to drown out the quiet. Scrambling, she reached out and pressed a button on a small radio that sat on her bedside table. She didn't care what music came through the speakers – only that there was something to distract her from the stillness that mocked the turmoil inside of her.

Curling up on her bed, Miu focused on the music, until she eventually drifted off into sleep.

* * *

_Squall is going to kill me!_

He knocked on her door a couple of times, but there was no answer. He scoured the cafeteria so many times that he lost count. He also lost count of how many Grats he'd killed while searching the T.C. He checked with the Doc, with Quistis – heck, he'd even gone as far as to check just outside of Garden in case she'd somehow escaped so that she could fight as recklessly as she pleased. And still, he hadn't seen her.

_One week. Squall asked me to keep an eye on her, and now I haven't seen her in an entire week. What if she, like… left Garden, or something? Crap, crap, crap!_

With a heavy sigh, Zell wandered the halls of the first floor of Balamb Garden, hands in pockets. All he had to do was keep an eye on Miu, make sure she didn't hurt herself or something for a while, and he couldn't even do _that_ right.

Zell walked for a couple more minutes, letting his feet lead him wherever they may. His thoughts wandered, from his current worry over Miu, back to Shizuka – 'the pigtail', his ex-girlfriend. Shizuka started a relationship with him, not long before he helped save the world. He was shocked, at first, but things were fantastic once they got going. He found someone that gave him all the attention in the world, without him having to ask for it. They read the same books. She _said_ that she appreciated his admiration for his grandfather - that she understood his striving to be just like his grandfather. He was loud, she was quiet – it was that whole, 'opposites attract', thing… or so he thought. Sure, they had their differences, but he'd been under the impression that everything was all right; that they could work things out.

For the past two years, he believed that… until Shizuka dropped the bombshell.

Light blue suddenly invaded his vision, and Zell looked up, seeing two large double-doors in front of his face. He swallowed. _The Library_. How had he walked right up to it without noticing? Man, he was really off his game lately.

_Come to think of it, this is the only place I haven't checked for Miu… damn it!_

Before he could change his mind, Zell squared his shoulders and opened the doors, barging straight in to the very place he'd been avoiding for the past couple of months. The lights targeted his eyes right away it seemed, and he squinted slightly. The floor was still a carpeted green, the books still perfectly organized on the rich wooden bookshelves. A few students were mingling in different genre sections, but Zell couldn't bring himself to look at the front desk off to the side, where _she_ would be working, if this was still her shift.

Walking forward, slowly, Zell observed the others around him as he passed rows of bookshelves and other students. Not seeing his target, he entered the back of the library, where students sat at desk-like-booths, writing missed tests or doing research. He spotted a bit of red and black in the corner booth, but just as he was about to make his way towards her, two dark blue uniformed figures stepped in front of him.

"Zell, what are you doing here?" The taller of the figures asked, her light brown hair held up in a loose bun, and Zell quickly remembered that these two were friends of Shizuka's. The second girl, shorter and with black, chin-length hair, crossed her arms and nodded.

Mentally grimacing, Zell replied, "Looking for someone." He quickly realized his mistake when both girls frowned at the same time.

"Zell! You two are _over_, get it through your thick skull—"

"I'm not here for—"

"Don't try to fool us to get close to Shizuka! She's found someone _else_ that makes her happy, so just leave her alone!"

Nearly grinding his teeth, Zell snapped, "_Listen!_ I said I'm _not_ here for—"

"Something wrong?"

The two girls stopped ranting at once, looking from Zell to the newcomer, and back again. Each girl's eyebrows lowered, putting together connotations that weren't there. This time the shorter one with the black hair spoke up, her voice much louder than it needed to be, "You're _flaunting_ a new girlfriend around now?"

The newcomer, Miu – dressed in the same outfit Zell had seen her in that night with the T-Rexaur – took a slow, calming breath, and quietly stated, "The _Headmaster_ assigned Zell to help me with my martial arts, since I've recently become a SeeD and need more advanced skills on the battlefield. I'm sure that Squall would _love_ to hear how you were impeding on a mission given specifically by him, with your ridiculous accusations. Not to mention your scene-causing behaviour and unnecessarily loud voices in what is supposed to be a quiet study environment."

It took the girls – and Zell – a minute to process the information Miu had just given them, and then, with suspicious looks but a stammered apology, the girls disappeared from view. Zell couldn't keep the smirk from his face - _Nice improvisation!_ - as he turned towards Miu… but she had already started walking away. Undaunted, Zell hurried after her, walking casually behind her until they were out of the library and down the hall.

He watched her as they walked, trying to figure her out. Her red eyes looked straight ahead, gaze empty. Her hair was in the same messy ponytail, red and black chunks hanging out at different levels. She didn't have her swords with her this time, but wore the same tight black pants with a short skirt overtop, and small black top with a webbed shirt over that. Criss-crossed belts hung around her hips, and a red scarf was wrapped around her neck, the ends trailing down her back. His eyes involuntarily traced her figure; followed her swaying hips as she walked. He didn't realize how badly he was staring until the green floor clued him in to the fact that they were heading to the T.C.

"Err—umm…" Zell started clumsily, head snapping away from Miu so quickly that he almost hurt his neck. "Are you…uhh—training?"

"No," Miu answered calmly, "_We_ are."

"Ok…" Zell blinked, passing through the T.C. doors that opened with a hiss. He waited until the second set of doors was behind them, before grabbing Miu's wrist and stopping her. "Wait a sec!"

Miu stopped, but didn't turn to face him. Her entire body was completely still, giving away none of her feelings with body language.

"I haven't seen you all week! And all of a sudden you show up in the middle of a conversation and save my ass – again!"

Miu closed her eyes. She should've expected this. "…Your point?"

Zell reluctantly let go of Miu's wrist, watching as the appendage dropped easily back to her side. "I just…" _Am really confused?_ "Where have you been, hiding in your room all week?" The blond asked jokingly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

Miu was quiet for a while, trying to decide how to answer. She didn't want to just blow him off like she would most people, though she couldn't figure out why for the life of her. She hardly knew him, and what she did know was by reputation only – save for the short amount of time she'd spent with him since he sort-of saved her life. There was just _something_ about him…

But the truth was, she couldn't really explain anything. _She_ didn't even know why she avoided him – and pretty much everyone else as well – for the past week.

"…Have you really?"

Tugging on the end of one of her gloves, Miu shrugged. "Sort of." And then, softly, "I just… needed to figure something out. Don't take it personal."

"Fine, but… Look, about what Rinoa said—"

"Don't worry about that." Miu interjected, finally turning to face Zell, a small smile on her face. "So, how 'bout some martial arts?"

_I know I'm probably missing something here, but if she doesn't wanna talk right now, then… _Grinning his worries away for the time being, Zell threw a fist into the air, yelling, "BOOYA!"

* * *

**A/N:** Had a strange dream with Zell in it and... well, it sparked my motivation. Dunno how long it'll last, but I'm having fun with it for now. Enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

Lacuna Coil - The Maze

_My thoughts can be so vicious  
Committed to a plan  
The fear becomes ambitious  
Taking me till I am gone_

_I don't know how it started_  
_Beating up myself_  
_I've come to realize_  
_I barely carry on each day_  
_This life is so destructive_  
_It's blowing out my mind_  
_My breath is running short_  
_I'm lost here (deep inside, deep inside)_

_In this maze_  
_I'm running through the halls of emptiness_  
_In this maze_  
_I can't find the way to get back to the end_  
_In this maze_  
_I'm feeling like I'm stuck inside a cage_  
_In this maze_  
_I won't feel the breeze 'till I break this maze and run_

_I don't know how it started_  
_Thinking to myself_  
_I've come to realize_  
_I couldn't carry on each day_  
_This vibe is so destructive_  
_I'm smoking up my mind_  
_So by the time she left_  
_I was lost here (deep inside, deep inside)_

_In this maze_  
_I'm running through the halls of emptiness_  
_In this maze_  
_I can't find the way to get back to the end_  
_In this maze_  
_I'm feeling like I'm stuck inside a cage_  
_In this maze_  
_I won't feel the breeze 'till I break this maze and run_

_Will I ever see the sun_  
_Shining through the prison clouds?_  
_In the darkness you can hide_  
_Go inside, free your mind_

_In this maze_  
_I'm running through the halls of emptiness_  
_In this maze_  
_I can't find the way to get back to the end_  
_In this maze_  
_I'm feeling like I'm stuck inside a cage_  
_In this maze_  
_I can't find the way to get back to the end_  
_In this maze_  
_I can't find the way to get back to the end_  
_In this maze_  
_I won't feel the breeze 'till I break this maze_  
_Break this maze and run_

**Tentative**

"Hey! You did pretty good!"

"This coming from the guy who didn't even break a sweat. That's either a compliment or… you're just trying to make me feel better."

"I'm not, I swear! You've got some serious skills! A little more training and you might not even need those swords anymore. Besides, you said you originally started out with martial arts anyways, right?"

Miu dragged a shaky arm across her forehead, attempting to remove some sweat before it reached her eyes. "Right." _More training, he says… lucky me._ _I figured having him help with my martial arts today was a good idea, especially after that little fib about Squall wanting him to train me – just in case those girls decided to tail us – but now I'm almost regretting it._ "Like I said, though, you didn't even break a sweat, and I can barely walk-"

"Need some help?" Zell asked, a little too eagerly.

Miu shook her head, smiling. "No, no. I'm fine. Just… drag me to my room if I fall."

"Sure thing." Zell said, mock-saluting.

The dark-haired woman chuckled, placing a hand over her stomach at the strange feeling in her gut. She hadn't laughed in a while… but she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to hurt. She had Zell to thank for that, since his 'training' consisted of what _he_ thought was a 'light work-out' (which was pretty intense for Miu), and then a _spar_. Of course, the so-called 'spar' consisted of Miu attacking Zell and failing. A lot. They hadn't stopped until she scored a hit on him, and she was still wondering if he _let_ her hit him out of pity. The thought got her watching him out of the corner of her eye.

He was grinning, walking with his hands behind his head. His eyes, she realized, though a light blue, looked _aqua_ or _teal_ under the right light. The tattoo on the left side of his face, jet black and with spiky edges, caught her attention, as it always did, and her eyes traced the figure, admiring it.

Admiring _him_.

Suddenly, she realized he was looking back at her, and she turned away, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. _Shit, shit, shit…_ "So… umm… your tattoo…"

"What of it?"

Was that _smugness_ in his voice? Miu wrapped her arms around herself as they walked, gently biting her bottom lip and looking away. "I'm curious about it."

"Curious how?"

"Curious like… when'd you get it? Why? What does it mean?" She shrugged, staring at her feet.

"Maybe I'll tell you sometime." Zell teased, lightly elbowing the dark haired woman in the arm.

"Fair enough." Miu responded, looking up as they came to the end of the T.C. hallway. Something… _yellow_ caught her eye, and an arm…

"_Zell!_" A girl waved as she came around the edge of another hall, wearing a short yellow dress. Her short brown hair flipped outwards at the ends all the way around her head, save for her bangs. A wide, bright smile was on her face, making her large emerald eyes sparkle. A tall, lean man followed her, wearing a long brown trench coat and a black cowboy hat. Auburn tendrils of hair peeked out from under the hat, the rest of which was kept in place in a low ponytail at the back of his head. At the sight of Zell and Miu, he tipped his hat lightly in their direction.

"Selphie! Irvine!" Zell greeted boisterously, sauntering toward the two. Without hesitating, Zell gathered both of them into a bear hug – oblivious or ignorant of their minor discomfort. "How was Trabia?"

"Great!" Selphie exclaimed exuberantly. "They're doing _much_ better since… I think they've almost caught up to this Garden now!"

Zell fought hard to hide his wince. He didn't miss Selphie's slip, and he still blamed himself for the destruction of Trabia Garden. If only he hadn't of opened his big mouth, the President at the time wouldn't have known to attack Garden… he mentally shook the thoughts away. Everyone said it would have happened regardless. Forcing a grin, Zell replied happily, "That's great! It's all thanks to you, of course."

Selphie merely giggled, bouncing from one foot to the other and peering inquisitively behind Zell.

Miu stood timidly behind Zell. She knew of them – Selphie and Irvine – of course. Who hadn't heard of the group of teens that saved the world from an evil sorceress? And _darn it_, why did they have to show up _now_? She needed to get back to her dorm and _shower_.

Irvine stepped forward, once again tilting his hat, though this time it was directed only at Miu. "And who might this pretty lady be?"

Miu raised a delicate eyebrow and looked from the cowboy, to Selphie, and back again. It was no secret that the two of them had something going relationship-wise, but she supposed Irvine's reputation of being a lady's man was there for a reason. She opened her mouth to introduce herself, when Zell stepped up and did it for her.

"This is Miu. My new… apprentice." Zell said, placing a hand on Miu's shoulder. "We just finished some training – she'll be kicking butt without weapons in no time!"

Irvine smirked, his blue eyes darting over Miu's form, to Zell's slightly _irritated_ expression, and back to Miu. "I'll bet." He chuckled briefly, before letting out an, "_Oomph!"_ at a vicious elbow from his much shorter girlfriend.

Clearing her throat, Selphie skipped over to the black-and-red haired woman, holding out her hand. "So you're Miu? I'm Selphie Tilmitt, nicetameetcha!"

Miu reached out hesitantly and took Selphie's hand. The bubbly girl's grip was firmer than Miu expected, and she soon figured out why as Selphie started pulling her away.

"Let's go to your dorm. I'm sure you wanna get cleaned up after training with Zell-y over there."

_Zell-y?_ Miu blinked, allowing herself to be dragged along simply because it meant getting closer to a shower.

Simultaneously, Irvine grabbed Zell by the arm and began dragging the blond in the opposite direction, mumbling something about a 'man-to-man' talk. Zell gazed back at Miu as he was being pulled away, giving her a helpless shrug when he realized that she was looking back. He grinned at her small smile as the distance between them grew, and then Irvine's tugging became more insistent.

* * *

Miu placed her palms on the cool tile wall and closed her eyes. The water poured through her hair, down her face, down her back, cleansing her of the sweat and dirt built up from her recent training with a certain blond-haired, tattoo-faced man. Her pale skin was turning a bright red from the water's high temperature, the heat soaking into her sore muscles and easing the tension from them…

But not completely.

_So, Selphie and Irvine showing up wasn't really a coincidence. Rinoa sent Selphie to talk to me, since she figured I was avoiding her… I guess I was. Rinoa wanted to explain that she was only 'testing' Zell, when I caught them 'gossiping'. She wanted to gauge his reaction when confronted about me… but why would she do that? Unless…_

Her thoughts swam around her head like a hurricane – thoughts about her present life, thoughts about her past, thoughts about _Zell_. She liked quiet. She found solace in her isolation. She benefited from being alone – as did everyone around her. Alone, there were no distractions from the mission. Alone, no one got in her way. Alone, she wouldn't have to take responsibility for anyone else. Life was easier when she had nothing to lose, nothing to _feel_.

Or so she'd convinced herself.

Lately, she hated silence. She wanted _loud_. Zell was loud. Her perspective changed when she was with him. She could see it – she opened up around him. He made her feel comfortable. But she didn't _want_ to feel at all. Feelings and emotions were dangerous. They clouded her judgement. They were wonderful one moment and horrible the next. Sometimes they _hurt_. But Zell made her _feel_, whether she wanted to or not.

Miu's hands, both of which still rested against the tile wall, quickly formed into fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms painfully. Why was it that he made her feel? What was it about him…? How did he manage to break down her walls so easily?

In the blink of an eye, Miu's fist snapped into one of the tiles, leaving a small crack in the wall. Her breathing quickened, and she sank to the bottom of the tub on her knees. Hunched over, she put her face in her hands, cursing the tight, constricting feeling in her throat. Cursing the burning in her eyes. Cursing the way her body was shaking.

_Hyne, what's wrong with me?_

* * *

Rinoa sat on Squall's dark wooden desk in his office, legs hanging over the edge. She swung her legs back and forth excitedly, though her bottom lip was jutting out in an exaggerated pout. "_Please? _Please Squall?"

"No," Squall sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I can't until I know more about Miu psychologically."

"_Please?"_ Rinoa begged, drawing out the word like a child would during an argument. "Pretty, pretty please? I'll do _anything_…"

"How do you even know that they like each other? What if I do this and it backfires?"

"Trust me; I _know_." Rinoa said, a sly grin taking form on her lips. "They're totally into each other."

"What if Zell's not ready? You said yourself that he's still thinking about Shizuka." Squall remarked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

He was still arguing against her, but Rinoa could tell that she'd already won. The slight softening of his 'perma-frown', the way that his jaw stopped clenching, the way that he sighed. "He needs to _stop_ thinking about _the pigtail_. It's been months. I understand that he still cares for her, and that's fine, but she's moved on and so should he." Rinoa declared, nodding assuredly. "Maybe he needs someone else to distract him; to make him stop hoping for something that's already gone."

"…Whatever."

Squealing, Rinoa jumped off of the desk and threw her arms around Squall. "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!"

Squall's lips twitched upward in a smirk as he wrapped his arms around Rinoa in return. "Now, you said you'd do _anything_…?"

* * *

He frowned, his bare fist slamming into the several-hundred-pound punching bag. The bag swung from the force, the metal chain that held it attached to the roof squeaking slightly from the strain. The bag became a blur of black and red as his fists smashed into it repeatedly, each punch _thudding_ heavily against the rough material holding in the sand that gave the object it's weight. One punch landed high on the bag, the next in the middle, another punch came back up top, followed by a high kick to the top-right, where a human opponent's ear may have been. Stopping, his breath coming in short gasps, he grabbed the bag as it swung back at him and held it firm. Zell leaned his head against the still punching bag, a drop of sweat sliding down the back of his neck.

He'd been at this punching bag for hours now, and if not for the magically enhanced metal chain and external material, the bag would have been reduced to dust by now.

His thoughts returned to Irvine, his friend who had started him on this frustrating train of emotions.

OoooooO

"_So, like, how are ya holding up?"_

"_What d'ya mean? I'm great!" _

"_I'm talking about_ _the pigtail. Are you still hung up on her?"_

"_That's – that's a stupid question!"_

_Irvine sighed audibly, leaning his head back and gazing up at the sky. He sat on a bench next to Zell in the Quad, enjoying the fresh air… or trying to. It was obvious that his tattooed friend was still thinking about the library girl, months after the end of their relationship. Vaguely, he wondered if it was too soon to be bothering Zell about moving on. Not everyone was a ladies man like himself, after all. Then again… thinking about the current woman in his life, Irvine knew he couldn't bear to be without her. _But_, despite his sympathy, he knew that Zell needed to _start _thinking about moving on, at least. Shizuka was taken now, and there was no reason for Zell to continue pining for her. "…You're quiet."_

"_Huh?" Zell intelligently responded, eyebrows furrowing at Irvine._

"_Well, quiet for _you_." Irvine clarified, forming his fingers into the shape of a gun and pretending to shoot the white, puffy clouds floating by in the azure expanse above them. "It freaks us out, man. You're _never_ quiet."_

_"So what? A guy can't chill out a bit without it being suspicious?" Zell retorted, irritably crossing his arms over his chest._

"_Come on man, you know we're just worried about you." Irvine pleaded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Shizuka's moved on, and we just think you should too."_

"_You say that like it's easy!" Zell snapped, irritation rising with every passing moment. Shizuka was his first serious girlfriend; the first girl to every really pay attention to him, to want him, to love him. How was he supposed to just… forget that?_

"_It's not," Irvine said apologetically, hand briefly tightening on Zell's shoulder. "You have to accept that it's over with Shizuka, and go from there. As they say, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe you should think about that new girl you were with, what was her name? Miu—"_

_Brushing Irvine's hand off of him, Zell stood up and stomped away, leaving the gunslinger alone on the bench._

"_Damnit, Zell…" Irvine sighed, again. _That's exactly what we mean. Stomping away, instead of getting in our faces like you usually do when you're angry. _Groaning, Irvine slowly removed himself from the bench, deciding to look for Selphie. Maybe she'd be better at talking to Zell… or Miu. Maybe the guy just needed some incentive…_

OoooooO

Zell clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, still leaning his head against the punching bag. He _knew_ they were right. He needed to stop dwelling on the past. But he still missed Shizuka; he missed her small hand in his, her slender arms around him, her presence next to him at night.

With a dark chuckle, Zell removed himself from the punching bag, shaking his head. He was being pathetic. She left him for _someone else_. Shouldn't he be angry? Maybe he was. He tried, he wanted to work things out between them, but she'd already made up her mind. She didn't want to try, because she already had another guy.

Fists clenching, Zell attacked the punching bag with renewed vigor. Sweat dripped down his face, his neck, his torso. His eyebrows lowered, fierce eyes focusing on something that wasn't there. His muscles screamed for him to cease, his lungs fought for air. Still, he didn't stop until the late hours of the night, when his knuckles were raw and his blood was smeared on the bag.

* * *

Miu sat at her table in the cafeteria, munching on a bagel. The sun was bright and high in the sky outside, shining its golden rays down into the room through the large windows. As always, the snow-tipped mountains in the distance caught her attention, radiating strength and perseverance. Mountains were old, beautiful, powerful… full of both creative and destructive forces at the same time. They always awed her.

But today, her wistful sigh had nothing to do with mountains.

She hadn't seen Zell in over a week. It was ironic, really. Not that long ago she was the one he was looking for. Sure, she was avoiding him at the time… but that didn't mean he was avoiding her now... right?

She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter. She wasn't even entirely sure she wanted to see him, anyways. She was utterly confused, irritated, and even frightened. But she was also… anxious? There were so many feelings and emotions swimming through her gut that she didn't know what to do with them. And the more she thought about them, the more confused she was. And the more confused she was, the more frightened she was. And the more frightened she was, the more irritated she was. It was a viscous circle in which nothing made sense.

She wanted to see Zell, but she didn't want to see Zell. She tried not to think about him, which made her think about him. Everything about him was just so… _frustrating_.

"Something wrong?"

The mature, feminine voice broke Miu from her reverie. Looking up, she saw an orange-ish clad figure, with brown arm warmers and black pants and shoes. Long blonde locks were pulled back, save for two long chunks that framed a gorgeous face, one on each side. "Instructor Trepe?" Miu greeted curiously, watching as her previous instructor seated herself across the table.

"I'm no longer your instructor. Just call me Quistis." The blond answered, blue eyes calmly scrutinizing Miu.

"Right." Miu answered, fighting not to falter under the intense gaze.

"Something wrong?" Quistis repeated, slowly turning a steaming cup of something in her hands.

Though Miu was mightily tempted to answer with her usual, '_None of your business'_, she refrained. Instead, she shrugged and resumed looking out the window.

Undeterred, Quistis continued, "You know, you could have been a SeeD a long time ago… better late than never though."

Miu nodded to show that she was listening, but still found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to talk, for once, and now she couldn't form her thoughts into a coherent sentence. So, she opted to listen instead.

"I've… noticed someone looming around Garden lately." Quistis started hesitantly, unsure if the territory she was crossing into was forbidden or not. "He's… not bothering you, is he?"

_She must be talking about Kenta… the dreaded 'ex'._ Miu shook her head from side to side. Even if her 'jealous ex' were bothering her, she wouldn't have let Quistis know about it. She could handle him.

"I know that he's the one you took off with for over a year, after everything that happened with the sorceress's."

Frowning, Miu nodded. Very few people knew about her 'elopement' with Kenta, but she supposed that Quistis was high enough up in Garden to get a good look at everyone's files. "I'm not leaving again, if that's what you're thinking."

"Good," Quistis nodded, a small smile gracing her face. "I wouldn't want to lose such a talented student."

"I'm not your student anymore." Miu reminded gently, taking a sip of her chocolate milk.

Smiling wider, Quistis chuckled. "That's right. You're not." _She's… a lot less cold than usual. Hmm…_ "You're Zell's student now, so I hear."

Blanching, Miu nearly choked on her drink. Coughing lightly, she managed to take a couple of more sips and calm her throat, though the blood rushing to her face was another matter. "It's – he's just helping with my martial arts. I… wanted to get back to my roots."

"Right," Quistis said slowly, slyly, but didn't tease Miu much more than that. "I was wondering if you'd seen him lately?"

_You mean you haven't? _"Not in… the last ten days." Miu shrugged. She managed to keep the concern out of her voice, but Zell was a social person. For one of his closest friends to not have seen him in this long…

_Keeping track?_ Quistis held back her snicker, but only because her worry for Zell was real. None of them had seen Zell recently. They assumed he was spending most of his time with Miu, but if he was as angry as Irvine said… "Well," Quistis sighed, taking a sip of her tea before rising from her seat. "If you do see him, tell him to stop by. I haven't talked to him in a little while."

The black and red haired woman nodded, a pensive expression on her face. "Wait," She called as her ex-instructor started walking away, unsure what possessed her to do what came next. "Which dorm is Zell's?"

Quistis hid her surprise (and amusement) perfectly.

* * *

_Alright, this is the one…_

Miu paused, hand hovering in front of the door. What was she _doing_? Visiting Zell? Why? What explanation would she give him when he opened the door, if he was even inside? She couldn't say that she was worried – she barely knew him!

Frowning, Miu's gaze flicked to her other hand, which held a white container, stuffed with several freshly made hotdogs – that weren't easy to obtain. She had to wait in the Cafeteria an hour _before_ the dinner rush just to make sure she got some… and then hurry here. Mentally, she groaned at herself. She felt so _stupid_. And nervous. She shouldn't be nervous. She was simply… checking on a friend? Wondering when the next 'training session' might be? Letting him know that Quistis was looking for him?

Eyebrows lowered, Miu lightly stomped a foot at herself. She was being ridiculous. Her hand dropped back to her side, and she started pacing. There was no harm in bringing a friend some of his favourite food, right? Except that… were they even friends? He semi-saved her life, was _assigned_ to watch over her, and trained with her. Once. She enjoyed his company thus far, and he seemed to enjoy hers.

Why oh _why_ couldn't she just knock on the damn door?

"Miu?"

She froze, halfway past the door. _Shit, shit, shit!_ _How did I not hear him open the door? _Desperately fighting the blush, she turned around to face Zell. He was standing in the doorway, leaning on one forearm that rested against the doorframe. He wore his usual clothes, minus the vest and gloves. His aqua eyes were focused on her, an unusual expression hidden in them.

"I thought I heard someone out here… and then I wondered why I could smell hotdogs." Zell chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

Forcing a small smile and praying that Zell paid the red tint to her face no mind, Miu held out the white container towards him. "Here. This is why." Miu closed her eyes as Zell reached out and took the container from her. His hand brushed hers and she swallowed thickly.

"Seriously? AWESOME!" Zell yelled, stepping back into his room. He held his door open with his other hand. "I've been craving some o' these!"

Taking the hint, Miu shyly stepped into Zell's room, nearly jumping when the door _clicked_ shut behind her.

"So, what's the catch?" Zell asked humorously, walking past Miu and taking a seat at a small table in the corner of his room.

_How is he so comfortable?_ "Umm… no catch. I just figured… you don't usually get there in time, and you did save my life… I sort of owe you." Miu explained, shifting from foot to foot.

Mouth full already, Zell just nodded, and then gestured to the chair across from him.

Miu hesitantly took a seat, silently admiring how neat and tidy (unexpectedly) Zell's room was. Everything was clean, there was a small, organized bookshelf on one side, his… bed… was perfectly made, and there was a small night table next to it, with several framed pictures on top. Most of them included himself and others from the 'Sorceress Six' (as the students affectionately titled them), but others were of Zell and who she assumed to be his mother. There was at least one other picture of an older man, and Miu studied it from across the room while Zell wolfed down his hotdogs.

"So," Zell started, talking in between mouthfuls, "Which one of them sent you?"

"Wha—"

"Was it Irvine? Or maybe Rinoa… I wouldn't put it past Selphie either."

"No one sent me." Miu stated, eyebrows lowering, "Why would they?"

Pausing, Zell's eyes widened slightly. "They… uhh… didn't ask you to check on me?"

"No," Miu shook her head, "I've only seen Quistis just today, and all she did was ask if I'd seen you… why would one of your friends send me to check on you?" Miu repeated, warily.

_So she actually came to see me on her own?_ "Err… probably because I've been avoiding them." Zell answered, eyes unconsciously flicking to his bloodstained punching bag.

"Do I want to know why?" Miu asked, following Zell's line of vision, to the large punching bag in the other corner of the room. The bag was easily three times her size, and swathed in red and black, heavy-duty cloth. Unlike a lot of leather-padded punching bags that she'd seen before, this cloth looked rough to the touch. The bag hovered off of the floor by a foot or two, and was connected to the ceiling by a thick, shiny silver chain. Miu could feel the magic emanating from the object, but that was not what caught her attention.

A dark red substance was smeared mostly on one side of the bag, most of which looked dry and crusted… but certain small sections still had a wet shine to them.

If Zell answered Miu's previous question, she didn't hear him – nor did she particularly care to at the moment. Instead, her lips formed into a small, wry smile. "Hey…" Miu started, eyes flicking back to the table, "Can I… see your hands?"

Zell blinked at the odd request, but did not immediately respond. "Err…"

"Just… put them on the table. Please?"

Wary and reluctant, Zell slowly placed his hands on the table, palms up. He watched Miu carefully as she reached forwards. She was blushing, that much he could tell, but there was a contrasting calmness in her eyes – a look of understanding. She grabbed his wrists gently but firmly, one in each of her small, soft hands, and began to turn his hands over. "What are you—" He started, attempting to pull his hands away.

Miu held onto Zell's wrists with a strength that betrayed her delicate hands. "Just… trust me, 'kay?"

Before he could react, Miu had flipped his hands over and was gazing at his knuckles. The skin was red, raw and torn open. Zell sputtered, attempting to come up with a reasonable excuse to the condition of his hands, but she'd already seen the punching bag. What could he say? Mentally, he kicked himself for opening his door in the first place.

"I get it."

"Huh?" Zell frowned, watching as a light, green glow engulfed his hands. He had missed the earlier whispered, '_Cure_' from Miu in his momentary panic.

She was still staring at his hands – marveling at the strength, the warmth she felt radiating from them. She gestured in the direction of the punching bag with her head, unable to take her eyes off of Zell's knuckles as her spell went to work mending the damage. "That's… pretty much what I do when I'm angry, or scared, or can't figure something out. Usually, anyways. With Squall putting me on 'probation' I haven't really had the chance." Miu admitted quietly, watching as the spell finished it's work and Zell's hands looked 'like new' again. She continued to stare at them anyways, afraid that if she looked away, if she looked up, she would meet his eyes and see something there… but what? She didn't even know what she was afraid of. Suddenly, _she_ felt like hitting the punching bag. "That's why I get lectured by Dr. Kadowaki so much. Every time something goes wrong, I go exhaust myself in the T.C. and end up in the Infirmary."

Zell blinked, and blinked, and blinked some more. His mouth opened once or twice, but he wasn't sure what to say. Why was Miu telling him this? Why did she heal his hands? Why did she really bring him hotdogs in the first place? His thoughts eventually traveled back to his last (and only) relationship. He remembered that Shizuka would get really angry every time he covered his punching bag with blood. It didn't happen often, but when it did, she just… didn't get it. It freaked her out, or something. Not like Miu. And why was he comparing the two? He just _knew_ there was something wrong with that.

Miu sat there in silence, afraid to move. If she moved, she might have to look at him, and if she looked at him… she would see… see what? Was she afraid that he would be looking at her like she was a freak? Had she misread the blood on the punching bag, the torn knuckles? Did she wander into something that was really none of her business? Was she making him uncomfortable? _Hyne… say something!_

"I guess I should get you a punching bag, then."

Miu looked up, slightly confused, and Zell was grinning widely at her. His eyes looked brighter than she remembered them being before. She could feel the heat rising to her face at the way he was staring at her, but now she couldn't bring herself to look away.

"You know, so that you don't have to keep hitting up the Infirmary? That way, you also get to beat the crap out of something without Squall or the 'Doc pestering you about it."

"Oh," Miu laughed, finally making the connection, "Right. That might be nice."

"So that's what you were doing in the T.C. that night…err, morning. Whatever." Zell chuckled, shaking his head. _Stupid, stupid…_ "You know, when you saved Shizuka and… that guy."

"…Something like that." Miu answered elusively, and then, realizing that she was still holding onto Zell's wrists, let go and brought her hands back under the table as if she'd been burned. She cleared her throat briefly, and then, desperate to think about something else, continued, "So you know the girl?"

"Yeah."

She wasn't sure what it was, but Miu definitely sensed that Zell was uncomfortable. So, him and the girl had history. It was none of her business… even if she was curious. Mentally shrugging it off, Miu stood and turned towards the door. "Well, I should probably… get going."

"Got somewhere to be?" Zell asked casually, munching down on the remaining hotdogs.

"Well… umm…" Miu chucked awkwardly, scratching her arm, "Not really. I just…" She shrugged and shifted from one foot to the other, "Don't want to intrude or something. I mean, I haven't seen you in over a week, and you've been avoiding your friends… so I figured that you might want to be alone, or something."

"Naw," Zell managed in-between bites, "I just… needed to figure something out." He winked, letting Miu know that he was copying her previous excuse for avoiding him for a week.

"Ah," Miu smiled, pointing briefly at Zell, "Gotcha… figure it out yet?"

"Nope." Zell grinned, and gestured for Miu to sit back down. She did so, and, after finishing off yet another hotdog remarkably fast, he added, "But I think I might be starting to."

"Good to know."

"Hey, when I'm done, wanna get some more training in?"

Miu gulped quietly. "…Sure."

* * *

"She actually asked which room was his?"

Quistis nodded, unable to keep the sly smile from her face. "I kept an eye on her after that – from a distance, of course."

Rinoa hopped off of the desk and ran over to her blond friend. "And then? What happened next?" She inquired excitedly, grabbing Quistis' arms, a huge grin on her face.

"She went to the library for a while, and then, close to dinner, went back to the Caff. She waited around _for an hour_ until the hotdogs were ready, and then grabbed a bunch and headed to the dorms."

"And, and? Come on!"

"And," Quistis paused for effect, chuckling lightly as Rinoa squealed in anticipation. "After she paced outside his door for a while, he opened it and let her in. That's all I know."

"This is fantastic!" Rinoa cried, glancing back to the desk, where Squall sat, head in his hands. "I told you he likes her."

"You don't know that." Squall sighed, tempted to revert to his apathetic self and ignore all of this… nonsense.

"Oh come on! He wouldn't even answer when any of us knocked on the door, but she pops up and it's all, 'Hey, come on in!' No doubt he saw her through the peephole and opened the door."

"…Whatever."

Ignoring her unenthusiastic boyfriend, Rinoa turned back to Quistis, a mischievous sparkle in her warm brown eyes. "Why don't we plan a night out, for the six of us, plus Miu?"

"Zell might still be angry." Quistis reminded, hand resting on her hip.

"Well he can't stay angry forever." Rinoa insisted, tapping a finger to her lips and pacing back and forth. "But, he's not even talking to any of us right now. We need a reason for him to come along."

"Tell him it's a reunion. We've all been so busy since Ultimecia with separate things…" Quistis shrugged. It was true. The six hardly spent enough time together now. They needed to make new memories to replace the ones lost from GF (Guardian Force) usage. Irvine held more memories than most of them, due to his lack of GF usage until he joined them, but still… she missed their times together. She even missed Seifer.

Rinoa stopped pacing and snapped her fingers at Quistis. "Great idea! But… we still need to make sure he'll listen to us." Pausing, the dark-haired beauty slowly turned around and headed back towards the desk. "Squall…"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Please?"

"I already said I want nothing to do with your… plans."

"But you're the only one he'll listen to! He knows you – he knows you won't take part in any sort of 'match-making' stuff—"

"He's right."

"—and that's why he won't suspect anything from you. It _has_ to be you."

"Not happening."

"Look," Rinoa sighed, placing both palms down on the desk and leaning towards Squall, "All you have to do is invite him. That's it. Maybe tell him you want him there. That's it."

Squall crossed his arms, eyebrows lowering at his girlfriend. "You're trying to set him up with a girl you don't know. What if he gets hurt?"

Rinoa blinked slowly, before a small smile took over her lips. "That's it. You don't want to help because if she hurts him, you'll feel responsible."

Squall didn't reply, and subtly glanced behind Rinoa. Quistis was nowhere to be seen, probably having escaped once Rinoa started pestering. A blue blur passed his eyes, and he heard quiet steps as Rinoa approached him from the side. She stood next to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, which he reflexively placed his own hand over top of.

"I get that you don't want to hurt him… but what if this works? How happy would they both be?"

"And if it doesn't, how hurt will they both be?"

Rinoa crouched down, locking gazes with Squall – chocolate brown meeting stormy grey-blue. "They're adults, Squall. They can handle themselves. Even if I push them to spend more time together, ultimately anything they do is their decision. They can handle themselves, whichever direction things go."

Squall closed his eyes, and sighed internally. "…Whatever."

"Thanks, Squall. I'll let you know when the date is for this 'reunion'."

_Hyne, what am I doing?_

* * *

She bolted in, fist pulled back, ready to strike. He was prepared, arms up, ready to block. She feinted, pretending to twitch her arm forwards. Her leg came up instead, foot heading for his face. Her torso bent back and low behind the kick, hiding from a possible counter-attack. He was too fast, catching her leg mid-kick. He pulled her with her own momentum and then released his grip. She went flying through the air, unable to resist the strength behind the throw.

She managed to maneuver herself in the air, landing vertically with her feet against a large tree. Her knees bent, absorbing the impact, and then sprung, launching her right back at her unassuming opponent. She rocketed towards him, using momentum and gravity as her allies.

His reaction time and speed were second to none, and thus he managed to save himself from the fist that was heading for his jaw. He moved his head to the side to avoid the blow, but then he felt something on his chest. He looked down, just catching a glimpse of her fingers gripping his shirt tightly, before they were both rolling painfully across the dirt-and-grass ground below.

She never let go, managing to stay on top so that _his_ back was the one hitting the ground with the force of her jump. They kept going, though, and he managed to flip them over mid-roll. The wind blew out of her lungs with the impact of _her_ back now meeting the ground. Grinding her teeth, her fingers did not unclasp from his shirt.

The two rolled several more times, each roll placing the others' back on the ground. Dirt and dust kicked up around the rolling blur of black, blue and red colours sliding across the floor of the Training Center. She was dizzy from the speed at which they were traveling, and the constant head-over-heels tumbling motion. Finally the energy of the move dissipated, with his back on the ground, skidding a short distance more across the dirt before stopping completely.

His back was on the ground. _His_. That was the only thought coursing through her mind as she sat atop, straddling him. One hand was still fisted in his shirt; the other was high and raised, pointed straight at his face. Her chest heaved with each quick, heavy breath. Her red eyes were narrowed and fierce, attempting to focus through the disorientation left over from all the rolling.

His breathing was labored, though not quite as badly as hers. His arms were at his sides, pinned to the ground by her legs on either side. Bright, clear blue eyes focused on her; the wild tint in her eyes, her messy, tousled hair, slightly parted pink lips. The shallow breaths she was taking caused the very noticeable rise and fall of her chest – which, in turn drew his attention to her generous-sized breasts, hidden behind the small black top as they were.

A drop of sweat ran down the side of her neck. She felt the itch in the back of her mind, but she was distracted. She was frozen in the moment, hand still poised in the air as she stared, seeing but unseeing. _I did it._

"You did it!"

_Huh?_ Blinking slowly, Miu's vision came into focus as his voice almost brought her back to reality. Spiky, blond hair and impossibly blue eyes stared back at her, framed on the left side by that intricate, jet-black tattoo. He was grinning, widely as always, but there was something slightly different about the look on his face.

"Miu?"

"Yeah?" She answered without thinking, in-between short breaths.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"What?" She frowned, trying to understand the question, spaced out as she was.

"You look like you still want to hit me."

Something clicked, and her head turned to look at her hand, still clenched and in the air. "Oh." She said, her arm dropping back down to her side. Her breathing started to even out as she calmed down, and she closed her eyes as the adrenaline faded. Many different parts of her body slowly began to ache, and her head was gradually starting to pound. _Must have hit it during the rolling or something._

"Err… you okay, Miu?" Zell asked, watching as Miu's thin, dark eyebrows lowered and she winced, probably without realizing.

"Ano," Miu replied distantly, silently cursing the throbbing in her skull. She attempted to adjust her seating, feeling slightly uncomfortable… and then, figuring out exactly where she was, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Her eyes popped open, and she swung her leg over and off of Zell, rolling over with the movement so that she was lying on her back, next to him on the ground. The speed and suddenness of the movement renewed her dizziness, but she closed her eyes and took slow breaths, willing it away. "I… I'll be okay." She finally answered, praying that Zell thought the intense redness on her face was from exertion. "Just… tired."

"Well," Zell grunted, sitting up and looking down at Miu, "You're getting better every day, so it's worth it!"

Miu chuckled, placing an arm over her still closed eyes to further block out the light. "Yeah, I guess it is." She said quietly. They'd been at this for three weeks – three weeks of cuts, scrapes, bruises, strained and pulled muscles, and hot baths. Training with Zell was no walk in the park, Miu admitted silently, but he was right. It was worth it. Her martial arts skills improved every day with his help and expertise, not to mention experience. "…You'd make a good instructor."

"…Really? You think so?" Zell asked, softly.

Miu smiled a little. She was starting to notice little things about Zell. Like right now – he asked _quietly_. He was quieter when he was talking about something meaningful to him. "I do think so." Miu reiterated, and then her smile turned smirk. "I think the kids would hate you at first, for putting them through this… but they'd thank you later."

"Tch, this is nothing!" Zell grinned, raising one knee and resting his arm on it. "If I want to be just like my grandfather, I've gotta work extra hard. And if you wanna be as good as me, so do you."

Miu groaned and removed her arm from her face, letting it drop limply to the ground. "Don't remind me." She joked, finally opening her eyes. She stared up at the ceiling of the T.C. for a short while, pondering. She had no one to strive to be like – at least, no one that she could remember. "It must be nice, to have someone to look up to like that. A role model."

"It is. It keeps me going." Zell admitted, unable to keep his eyes off of Miu. Even covered in dirt and sweat, there was a gentle beauty about her. "You gotta have something to fight for."

Miu grunted and sat up, mimicking Zell's position, only now she was staring at the ground. Her hair, which had come loose during the spar, hung around her face, shielding her from view. Something to fight for…?

"So, how 'bout it?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you fight for?"

Miu paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "I don't know."

Zell frowned, lightly nudging Miu's side. "Come on, there's gotta be something."

"Sorry," Miu shook her head, "I mean it. I really don't know. It's just… what I do."

"Naw." Zell said, standing up and brushing his shorts off – not that it made a difference, covered in dirt and dust as he was – and then offering his hand to Miu. "For someone who fights as well as you do, there has to be something. Maybe you just haven't figured it out yet."

Miu took the offered hand, letting Zell easily pull her up to a standing position. She felt light, physically and mentally – despite the pain from the intense training session – and couldn't quite figure out if it was Zell's words or actions that made her feel so. It was probably both. "…Maybe."

"Well, when ya do figure it out, let me know."

Miu chuckled. "Will do."

"So, ahh…" Zell started, rubbing the back of his head, "How about we take a bit of a break, for the next several days? You know, since you're doing so well anyways, and I'm sure—"

"A break sounds nice." Miu admitted, a little too quickly. Zell gave her a look, and she laughed sheepishly, "My muscles would appreciate it."

"If you needed a break sooner you should have said something!"

"Hey, I still need the training," Miu pointed out, shifting nervously, "And… I've been kinda… frustrated, lately, and… I can't train on my own, so…"

"So…?" Zell pushed, and then paused as Miu's face turned pink. He smirked then, and couldn't help but laugh as the realization dawned on him, "So I've been you're personal punching bag."

"I… It's not like that!" Miu defended, but deflated a second later when Zell gave her a knowing look. "Okay, I guess it kind of is… sorry. If it helps, it feels like it's been the other way around."

Zell laughed, and went to playfully nudge Miu, when he felt something strange. He looked down to his hand, and blinked. He was still holding Miu's hand, after helping her stand. He blushed – just barely – and loosened his grip, but didn't let go.

Miu felt his grip lessen, having realized at the same time that her hand was still in his. She wasn't sure why he didn't just let go. Was he… trying to ask her something? Did he want her to let go instead, or hold on? What did it mean? Miu lightly bit her cheek. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. If he was asking her something… what did she want? The confusion that she'd been ignoring for the past few weeks returned full force, so she did what she did best.

She ignored it.

Pretending not to notice that her hand was still in his, Miu smiled at Zell and asked, "So you were saying something about a break, weren't you?"

"Uhh, yeah." Zell said, trying to understand Miu's intentions and remember his train of thought at the same time. "I was thinking… wondering… if you'd like to go to Balamb with me? I mean, you need sheaths for your swords still, and I know a guy… and I have to go there anyways."

"Ano… sure." _I haven't been out of Garden in a while, and I do need sheaths. And… spending more time with Zell… doesn't sound so bad._

"Alright!" Zell yelled, letting go of Miu's hand and fist-pumping the air. "I'm not leaving for a few days… well, more like five days, but I'll come get you. Sound good?"

Miu nodded, subtly rubbing her hand. She missed the warmth already. "Yep, sounds good." She smiled, but inside she was frowning. Why was she disappointed at the loss of warmth? She was… she was seriously enjoying these past few weeks, spending time with Zell every day. She was opening up again – and that was dangerous. She was supposed to keep to herself. Things were safer alone. Internally, she sighed. Tonight was going to be another long night.

The two headed out of the T.C., towards the dorms. It had become routine for Zell to walk Miu to her dorm after a training session, so no words needed to be spoken. And for that, Miu was glad. She needed to think.

Even if she didn't want to.


	4. Chapter 4

Paramore – Stop This Song

_You say the sweetest things and I_  
_Can't keep my heart from singing along to the sound of your song_  
_My stupid feet keep moving to this 4/4 beat, I'm in time with you_  
_Whoa, to this 4/4 beat I would die for you (die for you)_

_(Someone stop this)_  
_I've gone too far to come back from here, but you don't have a clue_  
_You don't know what you do to me_

_Won't someone stop this song, so I won't sing along_  
_Someone stop this song, so I won't sing…_

_I never let love in so I could keep my heart from hurting_  
_The longer that I live with this idea, the more I sink into this 4/4 beat_  
_I'm in time with you_  
_Whoa, to this 4/4 beat I would die for you (stop this song)_

_I've gone too far to come back from here, but you don't have a clue_  
_You don't know what you do to me_  
_I've come too far to get over you, and you don't have a clue_  
_You don't know what you do to me_

_Can't someone stop this song, so I won't sing along_  
_Someone stop this song, so I won't sing_

_Your lovesick melody is gonna get the best of me tonight_  
_But you won't get to me if I don't sing_

_It creeps in like a spider_  
_Can't be killed, although I try and try to_  
_Well, don't you see I'm falling?_  
_Don't wanna love you, but I do_

_(Lovesick melody) Can someone stop this song, so I won't sing along?_  
_(Lovesick melody) Can someone stop this song, so I won't sing?_  
_Your lovesick melody is gonna get the best of me tonight_  
_But you won't get to me, no_  
_You won't get to me 'cause I won't sing_

* * *

**Encounters**

Squall frowned, eyebrows lowering as he scanned several pages. He thumbed through the papers resting on his dark wooden desk, each one a request for SeeD help. The papers were from a few different locations, but each request was the same.

Strange wildlife behaviour… increased aggression with no presence of offspring… increase in attacks on villages and in general… total disregard for own wounds… near-fatal injuries have seemingly no effect… possibly infected with Berserk or Zombie, though Esuna and Dispel have no effect…

And the list of symptoms continued. Monsters of all types were acting unusual – all over not just the continent, but also the world. It reminded Squall of the _Lunar Cry_, when, _"…the moon's surface reaches saturation point with monsters, it spills and falls to the planet. The monsters can cause damage sufficient to destroy entire nations. The natural flora and fauna may change drastically; it has also been mentioned creatures can undergo change by being in touch with the monsters of the moon..._" However, he had absolutely _no_ reports of monsters spilling down from the moon, and the requests for help were not marked as urgent, which most certainly would have been the case had the Lunar Cry occurred.

One of Rinoa's earlier requests popped into Squall's mind. She had pestered him about sending Miu and Zell on a mission together – just the two of them – but Squall originally denied her request. Miu was highly reckless, and Squall wanted to make sure she was psychologically capable of handling SeeD missions before he sent her on any… but Rinoa was persistent, and Squall eventually relented (he would say it was because he didn't have to worry about Miu on a mission as long as Zell was there, but that was only a half-truth), though he didn't have a mission for the two at the time. Now, he had a perfect opportunity.

But, he knew that Zell had plans for the next few days, at least. The blond may have been avoiding the rest of the six, but he couldn't avoid Squall even if he wanted to. Squall was the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, and Zell was one of his top SeeDs. So, when Zell wanted a little extra time off, he'd come to Squall to set it up. Zell was going to visit Balamb, probably not overnight, though that wasn't entirely implausible.

Squall sighed. He would just have to wait until Zell got back. Then, he could give Zell a mission with Miu from one of the many requests he'd received, to investigate the monsters in whichever area they chose – out of whatever was left. The other SeeDs that Squall was going to send to investigate would have first picks on locations.

Placing the papers down, Squall stood from his chair and stretched lightly. Ever since becoming Headmaster, he felt like he _lived_ in this damned office. The quiet didn't bother him, the time alone didn't even bother him much, but being cramped up in the same damned room _all _the time was starting to get on his nerves. He needed out, even if for a short while. Maybe he could go find Rinoa…

* * *

The hallways were surprisingly busy for this time of day, Miu thought. Groups of children and teens alike raced or mingled all around the first floor of Garden, chattering loudly in their individual circles. Weren't there classes now? There was no way that this many people were skipping at the same time… was something happening that she didn't know about?

…_Whatever._ Miu laughed silently, mimicking Squall's favourite word in her head. She stepped quickly to the side as a couple of children ran by, one of them nearly tripping as she passed. Miu caught the girl's arm in time and steadied her, merely smiling when the child, no older than eight, with straight, tousled light-brown hair, gave her a wide-eyed look. "There's a reason you're not supposed to run in the hallways." Miu reminded the girl with a quick wink. "But I won't tell if you promise to be careful, ne?"

"Promise!" The young girl whispered – although it was still rather loud, "Thanks Miss!" And then continued to race down the hallway once more, after her friends that were now ahead of her.

Miu shook her head as she walked away, but smiled softly. She couldn't remember any of her childhood, except for her time at Balamb, and she didn't have any friends to race around in the halls with. Her smile began to fade as her thoughts turned dark, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. She didn't want to be a downer today.

She walked leisurely around Balamb's first floor, hands in her worn blue jeans' pockets. She opted to dress casual today, wearing flared jeans, a blank tank top, and black gloves – though they were a bit shorter than her usual ones. A simple red scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck, the ends trailing over her back. A red belt sat around her hips, and plain black sneakers covered her feet. She wasn't sure why, but she felt even more self-conscious than usual in normal clothes.

Perhaps it was because she was spending the day with Zell? And he'd only ever seen her in the usual outfit? Sighing, Miu paused a moment and leaned on the edge of the wall, peering down into the water below. She couldn't hear the trickling with all the voices around, drowning out the sound. She rested her arms on the ledge, and then her head on her arms, gaze focused on the wobbly light reflections in the water's ripples.

She was a little bit early. Zell told her to meet him at the parking lot at nine in the morning, but it was quarter-to. She came early on purpose, to give herself some time to _ponder_. Spending the day in Balamb with Zell didn't sound like something to be worried about – but she was so _nervous_. They got along fabulously so far, so what did she have to be nervous about? She didn't even know – she felt like there was a lot that she didn't know lately. This ongoing confusion was not something that she was enjoying.

Most of her time with Zell had been spent training – they talked, but not… _talked_. During training, there was no way that she had enough breath to spare to carry on a conversation. They talked before and after, maybe a bit in between if Zell corrected her on something, but today… today there would be no excuse for silence. What could she say to spark conversation?

I shouldn't be worrying about that. _Zell likes to talk, right? So I'll just listen. I'm good at that… why did he want to bring me along, anyways? It couldn't just be because I need new sheaths… I've been working on martial arts anyways, so I haven't been using my swords._

"What's with the frown, baby?"

Miu froze, the tapping of her foot that she hadn't realized she was doing stopping instantly. Slowly, she stood, and slower still turned to face the voice. _Kenta. Damn. _"…Don't call me that."

He leaned against the wall next to her, much closer than she would have liked. His piercing green eyes ogled her figure without shame, and a predatory smirk spread over his face. "What's wrong, baby? New guy not treating you right?"

Miu's eyes narrowed. "I told you not to call me that." She retorted, purposefully ignoring the question. She had no 'new guy', but Kenta didn't need to know that. The less he knew, the better.

Kenta ran a hand threw his dark brown hair and inched closer to Miu. "Come on, what do you say we get outta here? I'll take you to that little waterfall you used to love so much—"

"No."

The calm, simple refusal only served to further anger Kenta. As Miu turned to leave, he grasped her left arm tightly and pulled her towards him. "I wasn't finished."

Miu glared out of the corner of her eye. "I'm only going to say this once. Let go."

His grip tightened. "And if I don't?"

Miu's lips twitched upward in a faint smirk, eyebrows lowered dangerously. She gestured subtly with her head to a group of kids across the hall. "Then they'll have nightmares for months."

Kenta paused, his grip lessening slightly. "I don't believe you."

"Really?"

He felt the shift a second too late. Pain exploded in his face. Suddenly, there was nothing solid under his feet. He didn't even realize that she'd punched him until he was already sailing over the wall.

Miu didn't wait to hear the splash as Kenta dropped heavily into the water below. By the time she heard the cries of surprise, she was almost already all the way down the yellow isle that lead to the parking lot. Many people ran past her, not one of them paying her any attention. She could only pray that no one was watching when her fist impacted with Kenta's nose. _So, I lied. The kids won't have nightmares… but maybe he'll be too embarrassed to wander around Garden for a bit._

She hurried past the door and into the parking lot, skidding to a stop on the dark pavement on the other side. White lines, concrete beams and red strips indicated different spots for vehicles to park in, while several large, garage-type, grey-beige doors surrounded the area as exits. Dim, tube-shaped lights were scattered throughout the lot, providing visibility. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide as the lingering adrenaline coursed through her.

"Miu?"

Her head whipped to the side, where the only remaining vehicle sat – a dark red, Garden-issue motorcycle. Zell stood next to it, eyebrows raised as he stared at her. She forced a smile, walking over to him much too quickly. "Hey! This is our ride, right?" She asked, but didn't need an answer as she grabbed a black helmet off of the seat.

"I… It… was the only thing left…" Zell answered anyways, watching Miu warily. His own helmet was tucked under his arm, red in colour with his tattoo design in black on each side. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes." She answered, also much too quickly, and then laughed nervously. "No. Can we go?"

"Uhh… sure?" Zell replied, placing his helmet on at the same time that Miu put hers on. _What the heck?_ He shook his head, swinging one leg over the bike and getting comfortable. Placing the keys in the ignition, he turned and the motorcycle rumbled to life. He revved the bike a couple of times to let Miu know that it was good to go, and she climbed on behind him. Despite his confusion, he couldn't keep the smirk from his face as she gingerly wrapped her arms around his torso. "First time on one of these?" He asked teasingly.

"Yep." Miu answered, really wanting Zell to _get going_ before Kenta realized where she'd gone and came after her. She had no time to be worried about the choice in vehicle now… though how tightly she was holding on to Zell may have spoken differently.

Zell pressed a button on the bike, watching as one of the large doors slowly rose up. He revved up, preparing. Then, when the door finally opened up all the way, Zell _let go_. The tires screeched, the smell of burnt rubber permeating the air. The bike launched from it's parking spot and out the door, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. _I can't believe that Squall actually listened when I asked him to upgrade these!_

The acceleration, combined with Miu's already active adrenaline left her extremely jumpy. The suddenness of the take off surprised her, and her arms instinctively tightened around Zell's waist. She thought she felt him chuckle, but the vibrations of the bike may have been the culprit. The whipping of the wind all around her felt invigorating, even as it bit at her bare arms. Her pulse quickened, exhilarated by the thrill of the speed at which they were traveling. She grinned underneath the helmet, once again pushing her most recent problems to the back of her mind.

After a few moments went by, her adrenaline faded and she calmed down… somewhat. She tried to focus on the landscape – the huge clustered trees, the lush green grass, the snow-capped mountains in the distance – that all blurred as they passed. She _tried_ to focus on the nature all around her, even the clear blue sky above. But alas, the feel of Zell's muscled torso through his shirt was becoming _entirely_ too distracting. _At least he can't see my face right now. I probably resemble a tomato quite well._

The last time she saw Zell was five days ago, when he walked her to her dorm room after their training session. She managed to knock him down that day, and even come out on top after the roll. They trained without magic, and they were very careful during their spars not to actually injure one another. She knew without a doubt that in a real fight, she was no match for Zell. He would plough through her. But, like he said, she was improving every day, and she hoped to someday catch up to him. She wasn't a bad combatant – far from it, actually she was very talented. Mistakes were made in her past, otherwise she might actually be at Zell's level right now – but that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that she was trying now… as Quistis said, better late than never.

She missed Zell the past five days, and that bothered her. She was so used to being alone, and now she hated it. She was losing sleep, tossing and turning all night, unable to relax with so many troubling thoughts plaguing her. At least she was used to sleepless nights – nightmares and all – but she was feeling more tired than usual. And no matter how hard she tried her thoughts always came back to _him_; the friendly, loud, _show-off_ blond sitting right in front of her.

She sighed. They needed to talk… but not now. Today, she was going to enjoy herself, worries be damned.

* * *

"Hey! Watch it!" Irvine called as someone bumped into him rather roughly. He turned as the person hurried away, eyebrows rising. He blinked at the _sloshing_ noises coming from the retreating man, but his eyes widened further when he recognized the trench coat and massive, shiny axe strapped to the man's back. _Kenta? What the hell's he doing here?_

Irvine remembered Kenta from his time at Galbadia Garden. The man was a monster – incredibly strong and lethal with his weapon of choice. Kenta was the son of… of someone high up in Galbadia Garden, if Irvine recalled correctly, though he couldn't quite remember whom. He was sure that it was someone powerful, though, and that made Irvine pause.

Why was Kenta in _Balamb_ Garden? He didn't seem like the kind they would send to keep relations going well between the two Gardens… so why…?

"What a jerk!" Selphie frowned, watching the big, muscled man disappear from sight, dripping water with each step. "He should have apologized, at least." She said, placing her hands on her hips, silently wondering why the man was drenched from head-to-toe.

"Hey, Selphie… does Balamb or Trabia carry files on students from Galbadia Garden, as well?"

Blinking up at her boyfriend, Selphie tapped a finger to her lips, thinking. "I'm not sure. I don't think they do, but…" She smiled slyly, peeking around to make sure no one was listening, "I might be able to get some. Why?"

"That guy? His name's Kenta Onishi." Irvine narrowed his keen eyes in the direction the man had gone, unconsciously reaching for his gun. "I've got a bad feeling about him."

Nodding, Selphie placed her hands together and grinned cutely. "Alright! Leave it to me."

Irvine stared at the tiny woman for a moment, before a wide grin of his own formed. "You're amazing, babe."

Selphie winked. "I know."

* * *

By the time they reached Balamb City – a couple of hours later – Miu's nerves were acting up again. Zell pulled into a spot just inside the city and parked, shutting off the bike. Miu slipped off the bike first, stumbling a little when her feet hit the grey cobblestone below. She winced under her helmet. Her legs were _stiff_, and her butt had gone numb long ago. She removed the helmet and roughed her hair up a little, attempting to rid herself of any possible 'helmet hair'. _Figures, the _one_ day I leave my hair down… luckily I like my hair messy anyways._

Zell immediately missed the feel of her arms around him, but tried to ignore it as he swung one leg over and removed himself from the bike. He'd seen Miu's slight stumble, and winced. He was used to riding, so the long trip didn't bother him so much, but… he took off his helmet and placed it on the bike, and placed the keys in his pocket. He turned towards Miu as she placed her helmet on the bike, frowning slightly. "Sorry about the bike. It takes some getting used to…"

Miu shrugged like it didn't matter, laughing at the wobbly-ness of her legs as she took a step. "It's alright. I'll just walk it off."

Zell nodded, surveying the town. The dark grey cobblestone roads, combined with the off-white, rounded houses and buildings… the bushy, green plants lined along some people's houses and on some ledges… everything was packed together – even the houses were all attached. He took a deep breath, grinning widely. It was nice to visit. He hadn't been home in a while… only once since Shizuka broke up with him. He was avoiding home, and mainly avoiding his mother – he didn't want to hear all that motherly, "_You're too good for her"_ talk. Now he just hoped Ma didn't bring it up in front of Miu. _Why am I doing this again?_ "So, wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"What?" Miu asked innocently as her eyes scanned all around her. She hadn't been out of Garden in a while.

"Skidding into the parking lot, all freaked-out?" Zell reminded, walking at a casual pace that Miu could easily keep up with while her legs re-adjusted themselves.

"I wasn't 'freaked-out'." Miu stated, wrapping her arms around herself. The temperature was perfect here – warm but with a cool, salty sea breeze – but she was left a little bit cold from the wind on the way. "I was… escaping."

"Why would you need to escape if you weren't freaked-out?"

"Because I didn't want to get in trouble."

"For what?" Zell asked, frowning. Miu was doing that thing again – where she avoided his gaze, hid behind her hair. He thought she might not want to talk about it, but… now he was really curious. "What'd you do?"

"I, uhh…" Miu laughed sheepishly, "Sorta… knocked someone into 'the pool'."

His eyes widened, eyebrows lifted. "You _what_?" Zell exclaimed, placing a hand on Miu's shoulder and bending slightly with laughter. "Who? Why?"

"Ano…" Miu hesitated, gently biting her bottom lip. "Kenta."

"Who's that?" Zell asked, a wide grin on his face as he continued to chuckle.

"The, ah… jealous ex-boyfriend guy." Miu mumbled.

Zell stopped in his tracks, blinking stupidly. His hand on her shoulder kept Miu from walking any farther. "You mean the prick from the Caff?"

"That's the one."

"…Why?"

Miu rolled her eyes. "He was… bothering me. Don't worry about it."

"Bothering you _how_?" Zell asked suspiciously, eyes focused on Miu.

"Didn't I say not to worry about it?" Miu reiterated, turning to face Zell with a smile. "I can take care of myself."

"Apparently."

"…Come _on_, I said _not_ to worry! Please?"

Zell blinked, again. He couldn't help but worry – the guy was twice Miu's size! Not to mention that axe… a couple hits from that and… and… and _damn it_, Miu really needed to stop pouting at him like that! "Just – just tell me!"

"He hit on me. He grabbed my arm. He didn't let go. I warned him. Kay? Happy now?"

"Not really."

Miu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was a little annoyed – but a little bit happy, too, that Zell cared. She just didn't want him getting all over-protective and making her feel like… like she was a weakling that couldn't look out for herself, or something. She thought of telling him just that, but thought back to Kenta and laughed instead. Zell gave her a confused look, and she giggled, biting her lower lip.

"What's so funny?"

"…I think I broke his nose."

Zell tried to hold onto his anger at hearing that Miu's ex was bothering her, but the thought of her sending the guy soaring into 'the pool' with blood on his face considerably brightened his mood. Soon he was laughing, too, and shaking his head as they continued walking down the street. Though, he did make a mental note to keep an eye on this… Kenta.

"I almost feel bad." Miu chuckled, falling into step next to Zell.

"He was asking for it." Zell shrugged, "And you did say that you warned him."

"I guess." Miu said, hiding a light yawn behind her hand. She relaxed far too much around Zell… and her lack of sleep wasn't helping matters, any.

"Tired?"

"A little." Miu answered vaguely, eyes wandering over the rounded houses. They were… quaint. Quaint and quiet. She liked it here. She couldn't exactly see herself living somewhere so peaceful, but it was a nice break from things.

"Me too." Zell answered as he yawned, cursing the contagious action.

"You don't seem it." Miu smiled, shoving her hands into her pockets as they walked. She had trouble imagining a tired Zell. He was always so full of energy. Even after they worked out and sparred, he looked like he could still run around the world.

Zell shrugged and they walked in relative silence down the street, though Zell stared curiously at one door they passed on their way. Miu shrugged it off mentally, though she had the feeling that she was forgetting something. "Hold on a minute." Zell said when they reached the end of the street, "Wait here."

Miu nodded, watching as Zell walked up to a single brown door, with the word '_Shop_' written in large letters above it. He knocked once and then entered, some bells jingling as he did so. Miu took the momentary time alone to attempt to quell the rampaging butterflies in her stomach. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air and closed her eyes. The sun was warm on her face, and she could hear birds cawing in the distance. She felt strangely detached from everything around her for a brief minute, until she heard the bells jingle again.

"…Can't believe… 'Not done yet' he says… gave him time…" Zell grumbled as he came back out of the store, but stopped at the odd look Miu was giving him. Grinning, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and motioned for Miu to follow him. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

"Ano… okay…?" Miu shrugged, following after the blond.

They went back to the one house that Zell had gazed at curiously before, and Zell opened the brown door without knocking. He motioned for Miu to enter. She did so, hesitantly, and Zell followed close by, shutting the door behind them.

The inside had dark hardwood floors, and white walls with teal trim. A few pretty houseplants were scattered around, with a small kitchen directly to the left of the entrance. There was a stairway further in and to the left that lead up. A dining room was directly ahead of the entrance, with a fair-sized wooden table in the center.

"Ma, I'm home!" Zell yelled as he strode further in, grinning even wider than usual, if possible.

Miu blanched. '_Ma'? I totally forgot that he said his mother lived in Balamb! _

A sturdy looking, dark brown haired woman came walking out of the dining room, grinning almost as wide as Zell. There was some barely noticeable grey hair by her temples, and wrinkles around her eyes – probably from lots of smiling, Miu thought. The woman had a beige apron on over top of a dark brown skirt and white blouse, and some of the warmest brown eyes Miu had ever seen. "Zell!" Ma Dincht cried, instantly hurrying over to adopted son and gripping him in a tight hug. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in so long!"

Zell hugged back just as tightly, thought there was a light, slightly embarrassed blush on his face. "I've been busy – you know, missions and stuff."

"I know, you're doing so well." Ma said, smiling happily as she took a step back from Zell. "I'm so proud of you."

The grin on Zell's face seemed permanent as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed Miu – who had been watching the whole encounter with a wistful smile – and pulled her in front of him. "Ma, this is Miu. A new… friend."

Miu blinked and blushed shyly, standing in front of Zell with his hands on her bare shoulders. "Ano… nice to meet you, Ms. Dincht."

Ma's smile turned slightly mischievous, and there was a strange glint in her eyes. "The pleasure's all mine!" She said, taking Miu's hand in her own two gentle but firm ones and lightly shaking. "Any friend of Zell's is welcome here!" Then, she began pulling Miu away toward the dining room excitedly. "Come in, make yourself at home!"

Miu allowed herself to be pulled, feeling something like a rag doll. Zell's mother went as far as to softly push Miu down into a chair by the table, though Miu understood that it was a friendly gesture. She could certainly see where Zell got his comfortable, outgoing, people-loving attitude from.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please." Miu answered politely, trying to ignore the eyes she felt on her. She could just see Zell out of her peripheral vision, leaning against the frame of the doorway behind her. There was an odd look on his face… his smile was calmer, but his eyes were so bright… Miu gently bit the inside of her cheek, desperately fighting off the evil, raging butterflies in her stomach.

"I'll uhh… I'll be right back." Zell stated, nodding at his mother as she turned around, and patting Miu lightly on the shoulder. He turned and, with one last glance at Miu, walked out of sight.

Miu gulped when the door clicked, but forced her smile to stay in place. _He's leaving me alone, with his mother? What—oh man, this is awkward. What is he doing? Hyne…_

Ma placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Miu and sat down across the table from the girl. She sipped on a cop of her own, watching Miu. "It's green, I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, I love green tea, actually."

"I put some honey in, too. Is that alright?"

"Perfect." Miu replied, slowly turning the cup in her hands. It was _hot_. But, at least it gave her something to fidget with.

"So, tell me about yourself – Miu, right?"

Nodding, Miu's gaze flicked down to her cup, where she was pretty sure it was going to stay. "Ano… what would you like to know?"

"How about your family?" Ma asked kindly.

"If I had one, I can't remember them. And, no one's come looking, either, so…" Miu shrugged, "I can't remember anything from before Garden."

"So you're an orphan, too?"

Miu nodded. Zell had only briefly mentioned that he was an orphan, but she remembered him saying that it didn't matter. Ma was his mother, blood or no. The thought brought a small smile to Miu's face. Zell was lucky to have grown up with someone who loved him as much as Ms. Dincht clearly did.

"Zell forgot that he was an orphan, for a while." Ma smiled fondly, sipping on her tea. "Eventually, one of the others from the orphanage reminded him – and the others – and then Zell remembered that he was adopted. I remember him making it a point to call me 'Ma' every chance he got after that – just to prove to me that he still thought of me as his mother."

Miu couldn't help but grin at the thought. "He speaks very highly of you."

"He's such a good boy." Ma sighed happily, and then shook her head. "As for you, call me _Ma_ from now on, got it?"

"Got it." Miu chuckled, warming up to Zell's mother already. She was finding it hard to stay shy around someone so comforting and kind. She finally took a sip of her tea, hoping that it was cooled off enough by this point. The liquid still burnt her tongue, but she couldn't deny the perfect mixture of tea and sweetness. "Well, _Ma_, you make a pretty good cup of tea."

* * *

Zell headed back into the store at the end of the street, ignoring the little jingle bells that sounded when the door opened. A man that looked to be about in his forties, with short dark hair and an aged face looked up from behind the counter… and promptly rolled his eyes at the sight of the blond. "Look, I told you I'm not done yet. Did you really think that five minutes would make a difference?"

"Hey! I just came to ask how much more time you needed, and maybe pick up a couple other things." Zell defended, though he was smiling. He knew the man behind the counter was all bark and no bite, having known him most of his life.

The man scoffed. "What's the rush? And what do you need sheaths for, anyway?"

"They're for a friend." Zell answered, walking slowly around the small store. He paused at a certain display case, gazing through the glass at a familiar pair of gloves. They were plain black leather gloves, but with metal-plated knuckles. He recalled that Miu already had gloves, ones with small knuckle-spikes and metal plates… he'd have to find out if they were magically enhanced or not. Maybe get her to fight with them on, see how functional they really were.

"Girlfriend?" The man piped up after a minute, smirking subtly when Zell's head whipped in his direction. "I saw her outside earlier. She's cute."

"She's… she's not my girlfriend!" Zell argued, though his thoughts caught the better of him. Is that what they looked like…? Why did it seem that everyone thought they should be…?

"That's a shame." The man '_tsked'_, bending down and grabbing something from behind the counter. "She's a looker."

_She sure is._ "Anyway," Zell shook his head, trying to think about something else as he headed to the counter, "How much more time?"

"Couple hours, give or take." The man shrugged as he came back up, holding a can of something.

"Alright, but in the meantime… can you order another one of those punching bags for me?"

"Sure thing."

"This should cover everything." Zell said, dropping a bag of gil down on the counter. With a quick wave, Zell headed back out the door and towards home. He opened the door to the house quietly, hearing laughter coming from inside. He crept towards the dining room, flattening himself against the wall next to the doorway. He felt a little bad leaving Miu with his mother right off the bat, but she seemed to be doing okay…

"…So he never told you about his accidental trip into the girl's bathroom?"

That was Miu's voice – but _why_ was she telling his mother this story? This wasn't good.

"No! I can't believe… he must still be embarrassed about it, to have kept it to himself for this long."

"Well, now I feel bad for sharing. I guess it's a touchy subject."

"You were there, so you've got a right to tell the story. Especially since you were changing at the time! If anyone's embarrassed, it's you!"

"He doesn't remember me, so it's alright." Miu chuckled, "And I neglected to mention the bit about changing to him, so it's not so bad."

Zell blinked. So _that's_ whom he'd seen! _Damn_, now he was really going to have trouble focusing around Miu. _Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, bad thoughts…_

"…Say, Ma, Zell really looks up to his grandfather, ne?"

Ma Dincht chortled, and Zell could hear the smile in her voice. _So, she's got Miu calling her 'Ma' already? That's a good sign._

"He sure does. I'm sure he's mentioned it by now, but his grandfather was a soldier. He's the reason Zell joined Garden." Ma answered, her tone suddenly melancholy.

"He must have been a fine man," Miu said softly, apparently sensing the longing in Ma's words, "Just like Zell. He'd be proud."

There was a pause, in which Zell held his breath, eyes going wide. His chest felt tight; Miu's words echoed in his head.

"Well Hyne, aren't you just the sweetest girl alive!" Ma Dincht hooted, and Zell heard the slight creak that indicated his mother had stood from her chair.

Deciding that he'd better move in now, lest his eavesdropping be detected, Zell took a deep breath and sauntered into the dining room. Ma was hugging a blushing, sheepish-looking Miu, and there were two empty teacups on the table. "Heya! I'm back!"

Miu patted Ma awkwardly on the back, and then waved lightly at Zell – who was giving her a strange look again, though this time something seemed… _deeper_, about it. "I didn't even hear the door."

"I'm ninja like that." Zell said as Ma detached herself from Miu. His mother turned towards him, and he could see a certain shine to her eyes. Whether it was unshed tears, or mischief, he didn't know, but either way, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me you two are staying for lunch, at least?" Ma asked eagerly, looking from one to the other.

"Of course!" Zell answered exuberantly, slapping Miu on the shoulder and plopping down into a chair next to her. He shifted closer to her without saying anything or looking in her direction. "Unless you had plans, Miu…?"

Clearing her throat to make sure she wouldn't squeak, Miu replied, "Nope." _I'm_ _not exactly eager to return to Garden after that little incident earlier, anyways._ "So, what's for lunch?"

Zell grinned. "Hotdogs?"

* * *

"Your Ma is great."

"Couldn't have asked for a better mother."

"That's for sure." Miu smiled, walking next to Zell through the now deserted halls of Balamb Garden. Ma had wrangled them into staying much later than anticipated, trading stories (though Zell and his Ma did most of the talking), running a few errands, and even showing Miu some younger pictures of Zell – much to his chagrin. They hadn't left Balamb City until after dark – after Zell made one more quick trip into that store and came out with a long box. Miu wasn't entirely sure how Zell managed to balance the box on his lap the whole trip back to Garden on a motorcycle, but then again… it was Zell. He said nothing about the box, and she didn't bother to ask.

Zell held the box under one arm now, resisting the urge to wrap his free arm around Miu's shoulders. She must have been cold, after that ride back to Garden on the bike. Then again, if she was, she wasn't showing it. Her earlier words kept echoing through his head, about his grandfather being a great man – and he, as well – and about his grandfather being proud of him. Did she even know – did she have _any idea_ how much it meant to him, to hear that? How did she always seem to know exactly what to say? And now, he couldn't keep his thoughts or his eyes off of her.

"You're… lucky to have her."

He could tell she tried to hide it; by the way that she smiled and closed her eyes, but there was a definite sadness in her tone. Grinning, Zell finally made a decision and threw his arm around Miu's shoulders. She stiffened, but didn't move away as he pulled her a little closer as they walked. "Well, now you've got her too! Ma loves company, so feel free to pop by whenever."

Miu swallowed and nodded, not trusting her voice. She hoped the dim lighting wouldn't show her blush.

"And me, too. If you ever need anything…" Zell trailed off, leaving the obvious left unsaid.

"…Thanks," Miu said, quietly. "Same goes for you, too." Zell's grip tightened over Miu's shoulders just a bit, but it was enough that she noticed. His arm was warm, and he wasn't showing any signs of removing it any time soon.

The faint sound of trickling water echoed off of Garden's massive walls, filling the mostly deserted first floor with the sound. Miu found the sound comforting; it reminded her of the rain, and she loved the rain. The combination of the sound and Zell's warmth were making her quite sleepy, but she knew that as soon as she was alone in her room her thoughts would attack her, and despite her exhaustion sleep would probably not find her. She sighed, unconsciously leaning into Zell.

He walked her to her dorm in silence, wanting to say something to her, but not knowing _what_. When they reached her door, Zell reluctantly took his arm off of her shoulders. He watched her open the door sleepily, and he took the leisure of letting himself in after her. She flicked on her light, both of them squinting at the sudden brightness. "So, uhh," Zell started once his eyes finished adjusting, "This is for you." He said, handing the box over to Miu.

She took the box, blinking in surprise. "For me? A… gift? But… why?"

Zell shrugged, and rubbed the back of his head. "Because I felt like it? Who cares? Just open it!" He answered, chuckling.

Biting her lip, Miu nodded and placed the box down on her night table. She gently removed the lid, and spotted something shiny inside, surrounded by white Styrofoam and some tissue paper. Eyebrows rising, she removed the paper and took out the foam. "This is…" She trailed off, pulling the two metal sheaths out of the box, each one covered in silvery chrome. One sheath had a black tie around it, while the other had a white tie.

"Those ones won't break so easily."

"These are…" Miu started, holding them out in front of her as a slow smile took over her lips. "_Perfect_." She said, carefully testing their weight and observing their size. They looked like her swords would fit just right. "They're awesome!"

Zell's grin widened, watching Miu's normally dull red eyes take on a brighter hue. "You're welcome!"

Placing the new sheaths down carefully on her bed, Miu turned to Zell, smile still in place. "What's the catch?"

"Why would there be a catch?"

"Because I never get gifts."

"Come on – never?"

"Never."

"Not even on your birthday?" Zell questioned, frowning as Miu took a couple of steps closer to him.

"I don't think anyone even knows my birthday." Miu admitted softly, before shyly embracing Zell in a gentle hug. Swallowing past the lump in her throat and fighting the intense blush that she knew to be there, Miu said, "So… if there's really no catch, then… thanks. Really."

At first, Zell's eyes widened with the unexpected contact coming from Miu. And then, when her sombre words registered, his gaze softened considerably and he wrapped his arms around her in return. "You've seriously never had a gift before in your life?"

"Not that I can remember." Miu mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to rid them of their burning. _Damn it, Miu, you are _not_ going to cry in front of him. It's just a gift – a nice gesture – nothing to get so worked up about._

"Shit, I'm sorry, Miu."

"For what?"

Zell's grip around her tightened. "I saw you around Garden a lot over the past several years, and I never saw you with anyone, but I just… damn it! I should've talked to you sooner!"

"It's okay—"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes it is." Miu said, shaking her head. "I probably would've told you to piss off, anyway. I've never been… good, with people."

"That doesn't give all of us the right to ignore you!" Zell stated angrily, placing his hands on Miu's shoulders and holding her at arms' length. His aqua eyes searched her face, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling. _I can see there's no winning this one, so…_ "Well then… better late than never, ne?"

Zell sighed, letting his arms drop back to his sides. "Look, I don't like to make excuses, so…" He waved his arms around for a moment, and then paused suddenly and grinned. "So, I'm going to make it up to you. Somehow."

"You don't have to do that. I mean," Miu shrugged, "To be honest, you barely know me."

"That's just it!" Zell laughed, snapping his fingers. "I'll _get_ to know you. And then… I'll figure it out from there."

"If you insist." Miu conceded, laughing lightly. _I can live with that. I think._

"I do." Zell nodded, and then, glancing at the small clock on Miu's night table, headed for the door. "Well, I'm glad you like the sheaths, but I should let you get some sleep."

_If only._ "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it." Zell grinned, giving Miu a small wave and shutting her door behind him. _I should be thanking her…_

Miu waited until the door closed, before falling onto her bed and curling up. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. She felt like laughing and crying at the same time. She was so confused. She knew she liked Zell, but… she thought she liked Kenta in the beginning, too. And now… now she couldn't stand him. Spending time with Zell was so wonderful – she didn't want anything to ruin that.

With Kenta, she had eventually come to realize that she only liked him because he was the fist one – the only one – to take an interest in her, to _want_ to be around her. She liked the attention – not _him_. Was it… could it be the same with Zell? Was she only feeling this way because she was alone again, and he paid attention to her? Was it really Zell that she liked, or was it something less?

She stared at the sheaths next to her on the bed, glinting under the light. Once again, her thoughts ran in frustrating circles. She didn't want to hurt Zell. Once she'd realized that it wasn't actually Kenta that was appealing to her, their destructive relationship became clear and she ended it. She could still remember the moment; she'd watched as she broke Kenta's heart, and despite knowing that it was the right thing to do, for both of them, she hated herself for it. She didn't want that again. Not for her, not for Zell.

…But, she also had to admit that she'd never felt this way before. Ever.

She was right. There would be no sleep for her this night.


End file.
